


The Bright Raven and the Fairy Princess

by animomma



Category: Princess Tutu
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family Dynamics, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:47:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 44,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25472614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animomma/pseuds/animomma
Summary: Fakir and Ahiru's daughter is born with the curse of turning into a duck. How will her family deal with this, and where does Mytho's son Bertrem figure into all of this?In which Fakir is an extremely overprotective parent, and antics ensue. This is mostly a sequel to my other Princess Tutu fic, "The Tale of the Duck and the Knight," but hopefully you can enjoy this as a stand-alone fic if you haven't read that one.Also, I named this fic after the meanings of the two main characters' names, because it amused me.
Relationships: Ahiru | Duck/Fakir (Princess Tutu), Fakir & Ahiru's child/Mytho & Rue's child, Mytho/Rue (Princess Tutu)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Tale of the Duck and the Knight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19160278) by [animomma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/animomma/pseuds/animomma). 



Once upon a time, there was a duck who fell in love with a prince. In order to protect him, she was granted the power to change into a human and become Princess Tutu. The prince was also protected by a faithful knight. Although they did not always agree, the duck and the knight worked together to save the prince and defeat the evil raven who had sealed the shards of the prince’s heart away. The knight proved to have much power as a writer, and after the prince was saved, he sent the prince and his chosen princess back into their story. 

During this time, he had fallen in love with the duck, but she was no longer able to change into a human, as the prince’s last heart shard had been her source of power. The knight worked tirelessly to find a way to change the duck into a human, and finally found that when he imparted his essence into her, this became possible. By this time, the duck returned his love. The knight and the duck were married, and soon their union bore a baby daughter.

But it seemed that their happily ever after was not meant to be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mild description of birth, nothing graphic. Mention of sex.
> 
> Also, I swear that Fakir would never think to help his child in the same way he helps his wife! Just want to alleviate any worry before that becomes clear.

Fakir paced the kitchen anxiously, wondering how much longer he could endure. Ahiru had been in labor for hours, and her distant cries of pain were becoming too much to bear. Karon watched him from his seat at the table, not saying anything. That was probably good, though. Fakir wasn’t sure if there was anything that would help him when his wife was in pain, and he had expressly been forbidden from entering their bedroom where she was giving birth.

A wail ripped through the air suddenly, louder than the rest, and Fakir’s heart stopped for a moment. This was stupid. What was he doing, letting some midwife tell him he couldn’t be with his wife? He straightened his back and started walking purposefully towards the hallway.

Karon stood up and caught him by the elbow just as he exited the kitchen. “Fakir, what are you doing?” he asked.

Annoyed, Fakir looked back at his father. “I’m going to go be with my wife. She’s in pain!”

“Fakir, you know you’re supposed to be waiting here! You don’t want to get in the way and make things more difficult, do you?”

It was a repeat of the argument that had gotten him to leave the birthing room in the first place, and it almost worked now. But Fakir narrowed his eyes and retorted, “I don’t care if it’s more difficult for the midwife, I can’t just stand here when Ahiru needs me. If she tells me to leave, I’ll listen, but I can’t take this any longer.” Shaking off Karon’s hand, he turned and strode swiftly down the hall, throwing open the bedroom door with as much authority as he could summon.

His eyes immediately locked on his wife, and he walked quickly to her side, ignoring the outraged gasp of the midwife as he knelt next to the bed and peered into Ahiru’s face. Her normally vibrant hair was lying limp against her sweat-stained brow, and her eyes looked at him pleadingly.

The look shot straight to his heart. He reached out and grasped her hand, running his other hand along her forehead. “I’m here, Ahiru. I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”

The midwife seemed to have finally found her voice. “You can’t be in here! I already told you to stay out!”

Without looking at her, Fakir replied, “I’ll stay right here, out of the way. I promise I won’t move.”

His wife looked at the woman standing at the end of the bed and asked in a weak voice, “Please, is it all right if he stays? I...aah!” She suddenly squeezed his hand tightly, and her face screwed up in pain.

The midwife shot Fakir one last glare before returning her attention to her duties. She managed to get off one last barked instruction at him, however. “Well, I suppose if she wants you here, I have no time to argue. The baby’s coming out now, so just sit there and be quiet!”

Fakir’s eyes widened, and he looked down at his wife in awe. She was really about to give birth to their child. His gaze traveled over her small frame out of nervous habit, and he wondered for the umpteenth time if she really would come out of this all right. He forced himself to focus back on Ahiru, and leaned in towards her ear, beginning a whispered stream of nonsensical encouragement. 

He wasn’t sure how long Ahiru pushed for, but it seemed to him that it was a lifetime before he heard a different cry rend the air. He stopped talking mid-word and jerked his head towards the source of the sound, and saw the midwife holding a small, wriggling body. She handed the baby to her assistant and busied herself with Ahiru again. Fakir’s eyes followed the baby unconsciously, watching as the assistant gently bathed it with a cloth.

Ahiru tugged weakly on his hand, and his attention snapped back to her. “Fakir, how’s the baby?”

His eyes flicked back to the baby, who was now getting swaddled. “I...I think everything looks good.” 

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

The midwife heard her question, and announced with a small smile, “It’s a beautiful little girl. Now hold still while we finish getting you all fixed up.”

The baby’s cries quieted down, and Ahiru tugged on his hand again. “Fakir, I don’t hear her anymore. Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”

Leaning over her to kiss her forehead, Fakir soothed, “Shh, she’s all right, Ahiru. I see her. She’s just getting wrapped up. She looks just fine.” He glanced at the midwife to see if she would confirm his words, and she nodded once, curtly.

The assistant brought over the baby. “Would you like to hold her?” she asked, holding out the small bundle.

Fakir stared at her for a moment. “Me? What about Ahiru?” he asked dumbly.

The midwife chimed in, “Your wife will need to lie still for a few more minutes, and then she can hold the baby. Until then, I suppose you can hold her, since I need my assistant to do other things.”

“Oh...well, I...yes, I would like to hold her.” Fakir felt himself waver as he was offered the bundle. He hadn’t really prepared himself to hold his child yet. But his arms reached out of their own accord, and the baby was placed within them before the assistant bustled off.

Frozen, Fakir stood staring at his daughter. Her eyes were barely open, but when he looked at them they were dark, like the fathomless depths of an ocean. What sparse hair she had was a vibrant orange, and looked like it would be soft to the touch. Hesitantly, he took his hand and ran it over her head, marveling in its unbelievably velvety texture.

“Fakir?”

A soft voice came from behind him, and he turned around, kneeling down once again by Ahiru’s side. “Here, do you want to look at her?” He tilted his arms awkwardly, trying to angle his daughter’s face. 

Ahiru’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Fakir! She’s so beautiful!”

A grin broke out across his face. “Yeah, she is. You did really well.” He kissed his wife’s forehead, and then looked down at his daughter. “Both of you.” As gently as he could, he placed a kiss on the baby’s impossibly soft hair. 

They both stared at her adoringly as the midwife finished up her duties. Fakir tried his best to listen attentively when she was giving Ahiru instructions about what to do for the next few days. But his new little daughter was very distracting, and he found himself alternately staring at her and his wife in adoration. 

For the next few days, he was deliriously happy. He made sure that Ahiru had everything she needed, and took care of the baby as much as possible. They settled on the name Tanya, a name that Fakir thought was fitting for his new little princess. And he felt like everything was right in his world.

Until, the third day after her birth, when he awoke in the night to his daughter’s cries. The thing that he noticed, even through his muddled, sleep-starved brain, was that the cries sounded wrong. He sat upright in bed immediately and shuffled over to the bassinet next to the bed. As he was reaching his hands inside to pick up Tanya, he froze. 

Where his daughter should be was a small, fuzzy yellow duckling.

A million thoughts shot through his head so quickly that he couldn’t process them all. Finally, he managed to sort out one thing that was most important. He had to figure out what had happened to his daughter. She might have been stolen, or somehow disappeared in some other way. But the thing he had to rule out first was…

He didn’t even want to articulate the thought in his head. He picked up the tiny duckling and cradled it to his chest, murmuring the same soothing sounds that he had been using for Tanya. The duckling immediately quieted down, and nuzzled its head into his chest with a peculiar sideways motion that his daughter always used.

That was all the confirmation he really needed, although his heart still didn’t want to acknowledge it. His brain, however, switched into high gear. This was his daughter. She had turned into a duck. Why had this happened? It had to have something to do with having Ahiru as her mother. But he thought he had fixed Ahiru, so that she was fully human. All she had needed was his essence. To be honest, though, after he had figured out that he could give this to her using sex, they had been intimate so regularly that there hadn’t been any further issues. He supposed that it was possible that his wife would change back into a duck if they stopped their regular lovemaking. That thought alone chilled him, but not as much as the reality of holding Tanya as a duckling in his arms. He had assumed that there would be no problems with their child, since she shared half of his essence, and would have an endless supply. He had very briefly considered this outcome during Ahiru’s pregnancy, but hadn’t really spent any time on finding a solution, because he’d thought that the chances of this happening were slim to none.

But there was one solution he had come up with. Obviously, the child needed his essence to maintain a human form. Maybe she was having difficulty now because she was a baby, and the ability to hold a human form would develop as she grew. But in order for that to happen, he had to do something now, and there was only one source he could think of. He glanced at his sleeping wife. Should he tell her? He knew that this knowledge would make her feel incredibly guilty, and that his solution would border on unacceptable in her eyes. But he also knew that if he tried to keep this from her, and she found out later, it would destroy her even further.

Giving Tanya a small squeeze, he turned and shook his wife’s shoulder gently. “Ahiru. Ahiru, wake up. I need to talk to you.”

She moaned, and slowly opened her eyes. “Fakir? Is the baby hungry?”

The normalness of her question constricted his throat, but he pushed forward with what he knew he had to say. “I think so, but that’s not why I woke you. Here, let me help you sit up.” He hooked his free arm around her shoulders and helped haul her upright.

She blinked at him, clearly still half-asleep. “Ok, I’m sitting. What is it, Fakir?”

He reached out and gently cupped her cheek with his palm. “I need you to try to be calm, all right? And please, this isn’t your fault, all right?”

Her eyes were gaining clarity now. “What is it, Fakir? You’re scaring me. What’s wrong? Did something happen to the baby?”

“Not exactly. But...well, here she is.” He gently withdrew the blanket from the small form of the duckling.

For a long moment, Ahiru stared at the duckling. “Is that….do you mean…”

Firmly, he nodded. “Yes. This is Tanya. I’m sure of it. But, Ahiru, I have a plan.”

He saw panic settle into her eyes, but as he spoke, he also saw trust settle into them. She nodded slowly. “I...all right. I know that you’ll be able to figure out what to do.” Despite her words, tears began trickling down her cheeks.

Careful not to crush their daughter, Fakir hooked his arm around his wife’s neck, drawing her in so he could kiss her face. “Ahiru, this is not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself.” He rested his forehead on hers, and mumbled, “If anything, this is my fault. My power should be controlling this, but it’s not.”

“What are you saying? Of course it’s not your fault! I would never even think to blame you! I know that you’ve done your best, and done so many amazing things for me. So that’s why I know you can help Tanya, too.” She leaned backwards far enough to be able to see him, and swiped at his face. He realized as she did that he was crying, too. For a few minutes, they simply sat together and cried, with their daughter between them.

When he had regained control of himself, Fakir straightened his back and said, “Ahiru, I know you’re not going to like this, but I’ve thought a little about what to do in this situation, and I can only see one solution. We know that my essence is what prevents these changes. My saliva seems to be slightly effective, but she would probably need a constant supply to be able to maintain her form. So obviously we need to use something stronger. And I can only think of one thing that would work.” He took a deep breath, looking her straight in the eyes. “My blood.”

The color drained from her face, and she cried, “Fakir, no! You can’t do that! You have no way of knowing how much blood she’ll need, or how often! What if...what if you have to give so much that you get sick?”

He stroked her hair, trying to soothe her as he responded with a calm rationality that he didn’t even remotely feel. “I really don’t have any way of knowing. But I don’t think she will need much, especially since she’s so little. I’ll just start with a small amount, and then we can see how long it lasts. Once we’ve figured out how much she needs and how often, we can refine the process a little. And even if it doesn’t work, I can always take her into a story and keep the two of you there until I come up with something else.”

Ahiru’s wet eyes blinked up at him, and she slowly nodded. “I...all right, Fakir. I know that you’ll figure it out. I just...don’t want anything to happen to you. To either of you.”

“I know, Princess. And right now, our daughter needs me to do this.”

She nodded again. “What do you need from me?”

He hesitated. He’d honestly rather not have her anywhere near this entire process. “Well...I’m going to have to cut myself. So...I suppose I need a knife. I’ll take Tanya into the kitchen. We’ll come back when it’s all done.” He kissed her forehead and stood up.

A small hand caught him as he tried to walk away. He looked back, startled, into his wife’s gleaming sapphire eyes. “Don’t you dare try to shut me out of this! That’s my daughter, too, and my husband! I know that I can’t really do anything, but still…I want to be there!”

A warm surge of love went through his chest, and he felt his nerves even out just a tiny bit. Smiling warmly down at her, Fakir said, “Princess, of course you can do something. Just having you with me makes me feel better. I just...I don’t want to make you upset with what I have to do.”

She struggled to her feet, holding tightly onto his arm. “Well, you can’t stop me. I’m coming!” 

She glared up at him defiantly, and his nerves calmed just a hair more. He nodded, and carefully held out Tanya. His wife obediently took hold of the duckling, and Fakir scooped up Ahiru into his arms. She looked up at him, but didn’t say anything as he carried his little family into the kitchen and deposited them into a seat at the table. He got a small knife, and used his thumb to feel the sharpness of the edge. Nodding in satisfaction, he turned to his wife. “Ahiru, can you hold her mouth open?”

Although her face showed a complicated expression of worry and dread, Ahiru simply nodded, and stuck her thumb into the duckling’s mouth, prying open her bill. Fakir walked over to them and held his wrist over the open mouth of his struggling daughter, and made one thin, clean slice, about an inch long. Blood welled at the wound instantly, and slowly, slowly, dripped down in thick drops, falling into the open mouth. After a few drops had fallen, the duckling’s entire body glowed a soft gold color, and she transformed back into a baby. Fakir quickly removed his arm and grabbed a nearby towel to staunch the flow. Ahiru’s voice rang out in a joyous cry, and she clutched the baby tightly to her chest. Tanya didn’t seem to like this, and she also began crying. Fakir smiled as a wave of relief coursed through him, and couldn’t remember a time when he had been happier to hear a baby’s cry.

“See, Ahiru, it worked. And it only took a few drops. So now all that’s left to do is see how long this lasts, and we can work on it from there.”

She looked up at him with teary eyes, and he knew she wanted to protest. But she simply nodded, and set about feeding the baby.

Later, when Tanya had been fed and they had all returned to bed, Fakir lay awake by himself, staring up at the ceiling, questioning his own words. What if his blood stopped working at some point? How often would he have to give his daughter blood? Was this something she would grow out of, or would she need him to stabilize her condition for the rest of her life? What would she think when she got older and realized what was going on? How could he possibly make Ahiru see that this wasn’t her fault, but rather a failing of his own power? A million and one questions swirled around in his head, and he found it impossible to sleep that night.


	3. Chapter 3

“Ahiru, are you sure this is a good idea?”

She sighed, and looked at her husband with a hint of exasperation. “Yes, Fakir. Tanya hasn’t changed for over a month, and we have her schedule figured out. Besides, don’t you have backup with you?”

His hand went to the leather pouch he had taken to wearing clipped on his belt, filled with a few small vials of his blood. He narrowed his eyes at his wife. “That isn’t the point, Ahiru. The point is that, by going into Mytho’s story, we have no idea what will happen to her. It isn’t like going into a story I created. I don’t have the same power over that world that I do in other places, so there’s no telling what might happen. She might turn into a duck right away, and my blood might not work on her.”

“And if that happens, then you’ll just bring us right back here. Fakir, we had almost this exact conversation when you took me there while I was pregnant with Tanya, and that turned out fine, didn’t it?”

He outright glowered at her now. “Yes, but you were carrying my essence inside of you then. You have a good point, there’s no telling what might happen to you too, now that you’re no longer pregnant.”

She smiled sweetly at him. “Well, then isn’t it a good thing that we made love last night? Now I’ll be sure to be protected.”

His mouth opened, then closed, and he felt his face redden. How was she able to say that so easily? Mothers were amazing. 

She stepped closer to him, her face turning serious now. “Fakir, I know you’re worried, but I have faith in you. You have a lot more power than you think you do, and so many talents too. If anything happens, we’ll come right back home, all right? I’ll be sure to watch myself, and you can watch Tanya, all right?”

For a moment, he studied her, then gave a slight nod. But he thought to himself that he would be sure to watch both of them. Sighing, he took Ahiru’s hand, and tightened his hold just a little on the bundle in his arm. Drawing his power around them, he closed his eyes and allowed it to take effect.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he did was check both of his hands to make sure they were still holding his girls. He squeezed the reassuring weight of his daughter’s body, and turned to look at his wife. She smiled back at him serenely, and his heart calmed a little.

But only a little.

Not letting go of Ahiru’s hand, Fakir looked up to the guard standing on the rampart. He had meant to announce their arrival, but the guard was already walking away from them. It appeared they had been recognized. A moment later, the doors to the castle opened, and they entered. 

They were greeted by another guard, who led them into the castle. They were led through a series of hallways until they came to a stop outside of a door with a guard standing on either side. Their guide nodded to the other guards and said, “The visitors Their Majesties were expecting have come. I was instructed to guide them here when they arrived.”

One of the guards, a short, fierce-looking woman, nodded and said, “I’ll go announce their arrival.” She knocked once at the door.

A voice from inside called, “Yes?”

The guard raised her voice. “Your Majesty, your visitors have arrived.”

“Ah, of course! Show them in, please.”

The other guard held open the door and nodded. “You may enter.”

Ahiru beamed up at him. “Thank you very much!” She turned to their guide and the female guard. “And thank you, as well!” 

Their guide scratched his cheek and smiled sheepishly. “Aw, it was nothing, really, miss.”

Fakir narrowed his eyes at the guard, and corrected him sharply. “It’s ma’am.” Grasping Ahiru’s hand a tiny bit tighter, he led her into the room, and the door was closed behind them.

Unfortunately for him, the room’s occupant had heard the exchange. Rue gave him a mischievous grin. “Getting a little overprotective again, are we, Fakir?”

“Shut up, Rue,” he grumbled. 

Ahiru, however, squealed, “Rue!” She dropped her husband’s hand and ran over to greet Rue. The little dark-haired boy sitting on his mother’s lap looked up at Ahiru inquisitively as she came over to them. Ahiru squealed and dropped to her knees, touching the boy’s foot gently. “It this Bertrem?”

Rue smiled. “Yes, he’s eight months old now.”

“He’s certainly grown fast, hasn’t he, Fakir?” Ahiru gushed, not taking her gaze off of the little prince.

A door opposite them opened, and Mytho entered the room. He saw Fakir and Ahiru, and smiled his gentle smile. “Ah, you’re here. I heard voices, and was wondering what was going on.”

“I’m sorry, Mytho. Did we disturb your work?” Rue asked.

He walked over to his wife and laid his hand on her head. “Not at all, Rue. I’m glad to see Ahiru and Fakir. And, of course, their child.” He shifted his gaze to Fakir, and gave him a smile full of meaning.

Fakir instantly went on the defensive. “Don’t give me that look. We never agreed on anything.”

Mytho’s eyes brightened. “Ah, so is it a girl, then?”

“Yep! A beautiful little girl! Her name is Tanya,” Ahiru supplied, oblivious to the nuance of the conversation.

“Aah, is that so?” Mytho turned that smile back on Fakir in full force.

Inadvertently, Fakir took a step backwards. “You stop that right now. Tanya is a baby. She’s only two months old, there’s no need to make any decisions about her future right now.” Honestly, Fakir had been so worried about the wellbeing of his wife and child that he had completely forgotten his friend’s plan to betrothe their children should their baby be a girl. He mentally kicked himself for this oversight, and privately swore to do better for Tanya in the future. He certainly couldn’t allow any boys to get near her when she was still afflicted with this condition, at the very least.

“Now, come, Fakir, don’t be that way. I simply want to see your daughter. May I hold her?” Mytho walked across the room to him while the girls fussed over Bertrem. Fakir looked at the king suspiciously, then flicked a glance at his son. Bertrem had made it to eight months old without any obvious damage, so Fakir supposed there was no reason that he couldn’t trust Tanya to be held for a few minutes. Begrudgingly, he held out his daughter, placing her carefully in Mytho’s arms. He watched closely as his friend smiled down at her. “She certainly is a pretty one, isn’t she, Fakir?”

His fatherly pride inflated a little, and he nodded.

Mytho continued, “Such pretty orange hair, just like her mother. And it looks like her eyes are starting to turn green, aren’t they? I remember when Bertrem was born, his eyes were almost completely black. But if you look now, they’re more red.” Although he wasn’t really interested, Fakir dutifully flicked his eyes towards the young prince, and noted that Bertrem’s eyes did indeed have a reddish sheen. Mytho sighed. “I honestly don’t see any of myself in that boy. But it certainly isn’t a bad thing to look like Rue.” He smiled at his wife, catching her eye. She blushed and turned back to her conversation with Ahiru.

Fakir clicked his tongue. “If you’re done flirting with your wife, can I have my daughter back?”

“Patience, Fakir. I’d at least like for the children to meet each other.”

Ahiru heard him, and clapped her hands. “That sounds adorable! Mytho, bring Tanya over here, let’s see what she thinks of Bertrem!”

Giving Fakir a triumphant smirk that only he saw, Mytho turned and carried the baby over to the women. Sitting down next to Rue on the couch, he tipped his arm up and said, “Here, Bertrem, this is Tanya. She’s going to be very good friends with you, so take care of her.”

Fakir glared, but nobody noticed. Bertrem stared at the other child, then reached his hand out clumsily and grabbed her little hand that was barely peeking out from her blanket. The women squealed in delight, and Mytho’s smile widened. Only Fakir sulked, certain that this did not bode well for his daughter’s future. He mumbled under his breath, “I won’t hand her over so easily.”


	4. Chapter 4

That successful trip into Mytho’s story did much to soothe Fakir’s worries about his daughter. However, he certainly didn’t let down his guard. It seemed to him that she grew faster and faster each day, and his occasional trials confirmed that she still needed regular doses of his essence to stay human. When she began to talk, it occurred to him that he would have to come up with some other long-term way to administer his blood, as a growing child wasn’t likely to willingly drink it. He set to work developing a solution, and eventually he created tablets that Tanya would be able to take once every three days. As long as she took them regularly, she retained her human form, and Fakir determined that he would test her condition once a year to see whether she would grow out of it or not. During this time while he was developing and testing the pills, he absolutely refused to entertain any talk of taking her back into Mytho’s story. No matter what Ahiru said, he was adamant.

And so three years passed, and Tanya became a bright, happy child, with laughter in her voice and a fierce spirit. Other than her green eyes, Fakir thought it was difficult to find anything of himself in his child, but he often privately agreed with Mytho’s sentiment; it wasn’t at all bad that Tanya resembled his wife so much. 

One day, when she had just turned three, Ahiru and Fakir were arguing once again about visiting Mytho and Rue. Fakir growled at his wife, “Ahiru, I’m just not comfortable with it.”

“And why not, Fakir? Tanya isn’t a baby anymore. And besides, you have her schedule all figured out, and you even finished developing that pill, and figured out how that works. And there weren’t any adverse reactions the last time we went to visit, were there?”

“Well, no….but still! I don’t think that going to see them is important enough to put her at risk.”

“Goin’ to see who, Daddy?”

They both looked over at the door, and saw their little daughter standing there. Fakir’s eyes widened, and he quickly said, “Nowhere,” at the same time that Ahiru said, “To see some friends!”

Her eyes widened. “Frens?” 

The simple question, said with such hope, stung at Fakir’s heart. He knew that there weren’t many children her age in Gold Crown Town, and the few there were didn’t come around to play with her very often. He also knew that he was partially to blame, since he was so protective of Tanya’s wellbeing. There had been many times when she had been invited out to play and he had forbidden it. While he had been mapping out her condition, there had simply been too many variables for him to allow it. The risk of her turning into a duck and exposing her condition to someone who might want to hurt her was too high. Eventually, the children had stopped asking her to play, and she now spent most days playing alone. She never complained, but the simple plea in her eyes now let Fakir know that she had still yearned for companionship. Her face stung him so much that he had to look away. Unfortunately for him, he looked directly into his wife’s eyes.

She smiled at him and turned to Tanya. “Would you like to go on a visit and meet some of Mommy and Daddy’s friends? They have a son your age, and I’m sure he’d love to play with you!”

Tanya bounced in place, giving up on containing her excitement. “Yes! Yes! I wanna go! Please, Mommy, Daddy, let’s go!”

Ahiru held up her hand, smiling at her daughter’s antics. “Now, hold on, Tanya. Daddy hasn’t said yes. Why don’t you go play for a bit, and Mommy and Daddy will talk about it a bit more.” 

“Okay!” she scrambled eagerly out of the room, and Fakir turned to his wife with a sigh.

“Why did you have to get Tanya involved in this?”

“And what makes you think she wasn’t involved in the first place? Doesn’t she have a right to get out and have some friends? Fakir, I know you’re scared for her, but you have to let her live her own life, even if just a little. And we know that her condition is stable now, so you have no excuses. Besides, we’ll be there for her, and I know you’ll make sure we stay safe, just like you always do.” 

Her words, firm but gently presented, wore away the last of the resistance that his daughter had already torn at. He sighed deeply. “All right, Ahiru. I suppose we can go visit them. But only for a few hours! And I’ll be watching both of you, and at the slightest sign of anything going wrong, we’re coming straight back home!”

Ahiru smiled sunnily at him. “Of course, Fakir!”

He stared at her for a second, then sighed. “Well, I suppose I’d better start arranging things then. I’ll go see Mytho and ask him when we can come visit. Since it’s been so long, it’s not like we can just show up unannounced.”

“All right. Are you going now, then?”

“I suppose I should. But you two make sure to stay in the house while I’m gone, all right? If anything happens, you should be able to call for Karon pretty easily. In fact, maybe I should tell him before I leave to be watching out for you. Or even better, maybe he can just come sit with you two until I get back.” He stood up, ready to go to his father’s house.

“Fakir, slow down,” his wife laughed. “Don’t you think you’re being a bit silly? I know you haven’t been away from us since Tanya was born, but I think we can handle an hour or two alone. I’m not that incompetent, you know.”

“Hey, I never meant to say that...that’s not fair, Ahiru.” Fakir scowled at her, unable to protest now. She smiled softly back at him, until finally he sighed. “Fine. I won’t get Karon. But please remember to fetch him if anything goes wrong. And I’m going to leave these here.” He took off the small leather belt pouch that now held the tablets for Tanya, and laid them on the bedside table.

His wife nodded. “Of course, Fakir. Thank you for taking such good care of us.”

He stared at her for a long second, then leaned forward swiftly to catch her mouth in a firm kiss. When he broke away, he looked down at her and said, “All right, I’ll be going then. Remember to put Tanya to bed if I’m not back on time.”

Laughing, Ahiru said, “All right, Fakir, now please go. We’ll be here.”

With one last glance at his wife, Fakir closed his eyes and gathered his power to transport him into Mytho’s story. 

The entire trip went quite smoothly. Despite the years since they had last visited, he was recognized immediately and brought before the king. Mytho was all too happy to set a time for Fakir’s family to visit. He tried to get the writer to bring them back immediately, but Rue chided him, reminding him that evening was coming soon, and they would do better to pick a different day. They quickly settled on a visit the next day, and Mytho sent his friend off happily, reminding him that they would be waiting eagerly.

As he reentered the world of Gold Crown Town, Fakir couldn’t help but let out a tired sigh. Since Mytho had become a father, Fakir had found him rather exhausting to deal with. He had already known that once his friend got an idea in his head that he was incorrigible, but it was an all new experience now that his heart was restored, and his son was the reason for his goal.

Opening his eyes, he saw that evening had descended, and looked around their bedroom for Ahiru. She was nowhere to be found. He frowned, worry creeping through his heart. Swiftly, he walked out of the room. As soon as he stepped into the hall, he heard the sweet voice of his wife, coming from Tanya’s room. He pushed the door open and entered to see Ahiru sitting on her bed, reading to her from out of a fairy tale book.

As he came in, both girls looked up at him, and at the same time nearly identical smiles lit up their faces. Before they could speak, Fakir cut in, “Was everyone all right while I was gone?”

Tanya chirped, “Yeah, Mommy and I had fun! We played a game, and now Mommy reading to me!”

Ahiru smiled up at her husband. “See, everything was fine. We had a perfectly quiet evening, and now we’re just going to bed.” She looked at him carefully. “Do you want to talk about your evening?”

He knew that she was asking if he wanted to reveal it to Tanya. He nodded his head. They should both hear this. “Yes, I saw Mytho and Rue. They want us to come for a visit tomorrow.” 

Tanya bounced up and down on the bed, throwing her covers into disarray. “Really? A morro? We going to see frens a morro?”

He suppressed a smile at his daughter’s antics. “Yes, we can go tomorrow, but I need both of you to listen to the rules. First, you have to stay where I can see you. Second, if either of you feels anything strange—anything at all—you are to tell me immediately. And I’ll be bringing your medicine, just in case, Tanya.”

She nodded solemnly, and even Ahiru listened to him without protest, nodding along with their daughter. Fakir studied them both intently for a long moment, then sighed. “Well, if you understand, then I suppose we can leave after breakfast tomorrow.”

Ahiru and Tanya looked at each other, and smiled widely. Fakir watched them, feeling uneasy as Ahiru finished her story and tucked Tanya in for the night. 

His trepidation didn’t get any better after sleeping, and by the time they were ready to leave the next morning, he felt like a ball of nerves. They stood in the kitchen, ready to depart, both girls holding him by the hand. He looked down at Tanya, then dipped down to lift her up in one arm, still keeping a firm grip on his wife’s hand. Tanya smiled at him gleefully and said, “All ready Daddy, we go?”

He looked at both of them, and couldn’t think of a reason to say no. He repeated, “We are, but remember, stay where I can see you, and let me know if you feel weird at all. And we’re only staying a few hours.”

“Of course, Fakir.” Ahiru smiled at him gently, and he sighed in defeat. Closing his eyes, he transported them to Mytho’s story.

When he felt that they had arrived, he opened his eyes and confirmed that both girls were with him still. After seeing their excited faces, he sighed and called up to the guard on the wall. He had hardly opened his mouth, however, before the castle’s doors were opened, and then he remembered that they were expected today. He walked forward, leading them both inside. He was so focused that he didn’t notice Tanya’s wide eyes as she took in the scope of the great white castle, gleaming in the sunlight.

As they passed through the gate, they were greeted by a familiar voice. “Ahiru, Fakir, you made it!”

Ahiru’s face lit up, and she called, “Rue!” Letting go of her husband’s hand, she ran to her friend, and the two embraced.

Fakir’s eyes flicked past them to Mytho standing behind them. He smiled gently and said, “Welcome, Fakir. And this must be Lady Tanya.” He gestured, indicating a dark-haired child standing in front of him. “You were too young to remember, but Bertrem and I both met you when you were a baby. Bertrem, say hello to our guest.”

The little boy tilted his head up at Tanya, who was still being held by Fakir. “Hello,” he said, a note of curiosity in his voice. He seemed to remember his manners then, and bowed, saying, “I’m Bertwem. I’m the fiwst pwince of this kingdom.” He looked up at his father for approval, and Mytho smiled gently at him.

From her father’s arms, Tanya replied cheerfully, “Hi! I’m Tanya. Are you going to be my fren?”

He looked up at her, and seemed to be sizing her up. Finally, he nodded. “Yes. I wanna be fwends.”

She smiled broadly, and wiggled until Fakir set her down. She reached out and grabbed Bertrem’s hands. “Come on, Betem, we go play!” She started to tug the young prince towards the courtyard they were standing next to.

Fakir started forward, ready to intercept them, but Ahiru noticed and placed her hand on his arm. “Fakir, she’s not doing anything wrong. You just said you wanted to be able to see her, and she’s still within sight. Besides, we can just sit in the courtyard and chat while they play. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

He stared down at her, and sighed. She was right, as usual. Dammit, why did she always have to have such a gentle way of saying things that would piss him off if anyone else said it? He turned to Mytho. “Do you mind if we sit in the courtyard?”

His friend smiled. “Of course, Fakir. There’s a table prepared over there for us. I anticipated that you might want to have some refreshments here.” He indicated a table with a wave of his hand, and led his guests over to sit.

They all settled down at the table and a lady-in-waiting poured everyone some tea. Mytho waited until the women had been chatting for a while before turning to Fakir and saying in a casual voice, “It’s been a while since you came to visit us. We didn’t even hear anything from you. Rue became worried, you know.”

“I’m sorry that we worried Her Majesty,” Fakir grumbled into his cup. “But it wasn’t anything personal. We just had some things that we were dealing with as a family.”

“Ah, I see. Is everything resolved now?”

He regarded Mytho warily. “Yes, well enough, I suppose. Anyway, we’re here, aren’t we?”

“Why, yes, you are. Which is making me wonder if you’ve given any thought to the idea of a betrothal.”

Fakir set his cup down with a loud clatter. The two women looked at him in surprise, but he ignored them and snapped, “Dammit, Mytho, will you leave off of that already? I don’t understand why you’re so set on my daughter, anyway. Aren’t there plenty of noble ladies here that you could betrothe your son to?”

Mytho smiled at the women reassuringly, and took a sip of his tea. “Well, certainly there are. But I know that none of them will be of the same caliber as your child.”

“And what the hell would make you think Tanya is so special? You don’t even know her. And besides that, she’s only three!”

“And so is Bertrem. Like I said before she was even born, a betrothal isn’t a final thing. It’s simply a way of declaring to the nobility that we wish to ally the royal family to another family. If they grow to hate each other, or if there is no love, then of course we can cancel the engagement.” He smiled and indicated the children with a tilt of his head. “Although it looks like there will be no problems with them at least getting along.”

Fakir snapped his head around, and noted to his annoyance that Mytho was right. They were playing happy together, and at the moment that he looked, Tanya was laughing happily. He turned back to glare at his friend. “I don’t care what you want, quite frankly. My concern is protecting my family, and I’ll do that in whatever way possible. Even if it’s protecting them from you.” 

Ahiru gasped. “Fakir! What are you saying? You know Mytho would never do anything to harm us. After all he’s done!”

A twinge of guilt pulled at him, but Fakir refused to back down. “I don’t want to hear any more talk of betrothal until Tanya is at least...at least a teenager!” He gulped down the rest of the tea in his cup angrily, slamming it back down onto the table as he stood swiftly. 

Ahiru reached over and placed her hand on his arm. “Fakir, don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit? It’s reasonable for royalty to want to have a betrothal in place for a prince so that they don’t get overrun with requests from other nations and nobles. And Mytho isn’t even saying she has to marry him. You know he married for love, do you really think he would force his son into a loveless marriage? Really, can’t you see he’s suggesting Tanya because he trusts us to take care of Bertrem, too?”

The guilt grew, and Fakir looked down sideways at Mytho. He was looking at him with that serious look in his gentle eyes until Fakir had to look away, gritting his teeth. He sighed deeply, and opened his mouth to respond when a child’s voice ripped through the air.

“Mama! Papa! Tan-a fell down!”

Instantly, Fakir’s eyes focused on the area where the children had been playing. He located Bertrem quickly, and next to him, a small puddle of clothing. His heart stopped, and his feet started moving before he asked them to. He ran over to the clothes and dropped to his knees, parting them gently to reveal a fluffy yellow duckling. Her eyes were closed, and she was panting heavily. 

“Tanya!” Ahiru’s voice over his shoulder was frantic, and echoed the feeling in his own heart. He quickly unbuttoned the leather pouch at his waist and took out one of the pills, pushing it inside of Tanya’s bill. Anxiously, he watched as for a long moment, nothing happened. Then she glowed a brilliant gold, and changed back into a three-year-old child.

He wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but her face was flushed, and her breathing was shallow. Fakir picked up her small body, and was horrified at how hot it felt. How had he not noticed anything before she got this bad? He located Ahiru at his side, and barked, “Come on, we’re going home now.”

She looked up at him with teary eyes, but Rue cut in before she could respond. “Now, wait just a minute, Fakir. Is that really the best idea with Tanya in this condition?”

“It’s precisely because she’s in this condition that we have to go back!” He felt frantic, nerves rising more the longer they stood there.

A cloth gently fluttered over Tanya’s bare body, and Fakir finally noticed Mytho as he settled his mantle over the girl. “Fakir, I understand that you’re upset, but I really think it would be best if we got a doctor to see her here. She’s in no condition to sustain any more of your power right now. I promise we have the best doctors, and I’ve already called for one. He’ll be here in minutes. So please, let’s put her to bed and see what the doctor says.”

Ahiru chimed in, “He’s right, Fakir, we can’t risk moving her back right now. Let’s see what the doctor has to say, and then we can decide.” Her eyes pleaded, echoing back his fear.

That fear finally broke through to him. He hung his head in defeat, and mumbled, “Show me where to put her.”

Rue stepped back in authoritatively. “It’s probably best that we move her as little as possible. Put her on the bench over there, out of the sun. I’ll send my attendants to get some water.” She waved at one of her ladies-in-waiting, and the woman scurried off as Fakir gently set his daughter down on the cool stone bench. Kneeling down next to her, he held her hand and simply waited, trying his best not to think about what could be wrong. Ahiru sank down next to him, and he wrapped an arm around her wordlessly.

Mytho came to stand on his other side. “So, is this what you meant when you mentioned family problems?”

He nodded, not looking away from Tanya’s face.

“I can see why you were concerned. It certainly is surprising that she would inherit this from Ahiru. And knowing you, I can only imagine how it affected you. Affected both of you.” 

Fakir didn’t answer, too caught up in his worry to really listen. Ahiru responded instead, in her gentle voice, “Thank you, Mytho. We appreciate your understanding. And your help.”

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but just then Rue exclaimed, “Ah, here’s the doctor! Over here!” She waved her hand in the air delicately, attracting the attention of a middle-aged man with a bushy beard. The man came over and knelt on the other side of the bench, pulling several tools out of his bag to examine Tanya.

After several minutes, he lifted his head and looked at Ahiru. “Are you the mother?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He looked at Fakir, and nodded. “Well, I can tell you for sure what this is. She has a summer fever.”

Fakir broke in, “What does that mean, a summer fever? Is she in danger? Is she going to be okay?”

The doctor nodded patiently. “Yes, the child will be fine, but she most certainly needs some rest. She’ll likely be ill for a few days, and may not be conscious much. I’ll come by three times a day to care for her, but she really should not be disturbed as much as possible.”

Ahiru chimed in, “She just fell over all of a sudden. She wasn’t acting sick yesterday, are you sure that’s what it is?”

Again, the doctor nodded. “This can have a very sudden onset of symptoms. The patient will be sick for a few days, but won’t show it until a collapse or bad fever seems to come from nowhere. I have seen this before, and I can assure you that it is very treatable.”

Mytho spoke now. “Fakir, Ahiru, is it all right if we keep her here until she is better? We will make sure to take care of her, and you can have a room next to hers.”

Instantly, Fakir protested. “Keep Ahiru here for three days? I don’t think so! I have no idea what that would do to her body. To either of them. I can’t...I can’t just....” he hung his head, feeling utterly defeated.

Mytho’s voice above his head said, “Well, at any rate, thank you very much, doctor. I’ll send instructions to you later today.” There was a pause, and the king continued, “Fakir, I really think you should let us take care of her. We already know about her condition, so we can be sure to take care of that, too. Is there anything in particular we need to know about that?”

Hollowly, he replied, “She has to take a tablet every three days, or she’ll turn into a duck. But I don’t know how it will work when she’s sick, and I only have one tablet left.”

“Well, then isn’t it better if you go home and get more?”

His head snapped up. “What are you saying? You want me to leave her alone here?”

“Of course not, Fakir. One of us will stay with her at all times until you return. You can take Ahiru back if you want and make arrangements for her, and return at any time. I can promise you that Tanya will receive the best care that we can possibly give her.”

Fakir stared into his friend’s eyes, and felt himself waver. He certainly didn’t want to leave Tanya here alone for any amount of time, but he simply couldn’t stay here with Ahiru until she recovered. There was no telling what that amount of time would do to Ahiru’s body. Helplessly, he turned to his wife.

She responded to the question in his eyes. “I think that’s a good plan. You can take me back, and then come wait with Tanya until she’s well enough to return. I want to stay with her too, but I know that if I do you’ll be too worried over me to do anything.”

He stared at her, then slowly nodded, getting to his feet. He looked down at his daughter, then at his wife. “All right, Mytho. Can you take her to a room? I’m going to take Ahiru home. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

“Of course, Fakir. We’ll take care of her.” Mytho bent down and scooped up her little body, lifting it carefully.

Fakir gave her one last anxious glance, and remembered something important. “Oh, wait, here.” He reached into his belt pouch and pulled out the last pill. He handed it to Rue. “If she turns into a duck, this should change her back. I don’t know how long it will last here, and with her in this condition, though.”

Rue replied, “All the more reason for you to go and come back quickly.”

He wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “All right, we’ll be going then. See you soon.” He closed his eyes and exerted his power, even though everything in him was screaming that he was making the wrong decision.


	5. Chapter 5

Tanya was having a strange dream. She had been playing with her new friend when all of a sudden she had felt her body waver and change. She recognized the feeling. This was what happened to her when she turned into a duck. Her daddy called it her “condition,” although she could never say the word quite right. She vaguely felt her medicine being put in her mouth, and tried her best to swallow it before she lost herself completely in her dream. 

In the dream, she and her new friend were playing near a volcano. There were red flowers growing all around it, and she looked at them and thought that they were pretty. She reached out her hand to pick one, but it was hot. She cried out and drew back her hand, but then her friend called her name. She turned around and he was holding out a bouquet of the red flowers to her. She smiled happily and reached out to take them, but the instant she had them in her hands, he disappeared, and she felt a surging heat all over her body. She screamed again in pain as the heat traveled all over, and she felt as if she would burn alive.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes, and saw a clean white ceiling of a room that she didn’t recognize. There was a deliciously cool sensation on her forehead. She tried to focus, and looked to her side. A woman was hovering over her, the pretty woman with black hair that was her mommy’s friend. And next to her, his face constricted with fear, was her new friend. She opened her mouth to ask him what his name was, as she couldn’t remember how to say it, but before she could speak, she slipped back into another dream.

This time, she was with her friend at a lake. She smiled in delight at the sight of all the refreshing water, and turned around to grab the boy’s hand. Laughing, she jumped into the lake, but as she did, the water froze instantly. She found herself unable to move, and the hand in hers turned into a block of ice. She looked over at the boy and saw that he was completely encased in ice. She tried to scream, but found that her mouth was starting to freeze with ice as well.

She woke again, but this time the cloth on her forehead felt as if it were sucking all of the warmth out of her bones. With her teeth chattering, she tried to speak, and felt as if nails were grating in her throat. “I’m...c-c-cold...please…”

A man’s mellow voice said, “I know, Tanya. I’m sorry, but the doctor said we can’t give you any more blankets. Your body is much too warm.”

With an effort, she looked at this new speaker, and saw the white-haired man with the gentle face. Once again, at his side, sat her new friend. She smiled at him weakly, glad to see that he was no longer trapped in the ice. After that, her consciousness faded again, and she was plunged into another dream.

Now she and her friend were standing in an open meadow. Flowers waved gently around them, and she looked at him, watching as his dark hair rippled with the breeze. She laughed. “Come on, let’s go play!” she called, and they ran around the field, rolling and tumbling together until they were breathless with laughter, and collapsed into the waving grass next to each other. As she lay, looking up at the blue sky, she said, “I feel better now!”

Her friend replied, “Then you should wake up.”

Tanya nodded, and opened her eyes.

She was looking up at that white ceiling again, but now she felt like she could actually see it. She turned her head, and saw her daddy sitting next to her, his head resting on her bed, fast asleep. As quietly as possible, she sat up, and had just succeeded when there was a soft knock on the door of the room she was in, and it cracked open. To her delight, the little dark head of her new friend poked in. He looked around and noticed her sitting up. His eyes widened, and he looked uncertain. Tanya smiled and waved at him, trying to get him to come over and talk to her.

Hesitantly, he looked at her daddy, and then began walking across the room, going to the opposite side of the bed until he was close enough to whisper to her. “Are you feewing bettew?”

She smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I feel good now. I saw you were here. Thank you for coming to see me.”

He looked embarrassed, and simply nodded.

Tanya leaned forward a little closer. “What your name? I forget.”

“It Betwem.”

“Hmmm. That hard to say.”

The boy considered this. “Okay. You call me Wem.”

“Wem?”

He scowled at her. “No. Not Wem. I am Wem.”

Tanya studied him, and thought hard before trying again. “You Rem?”

He nodded in satisfaction. “Youwe name is hawd, too.”

“Rem can call me Tan.”

“Tan.” He smiled. “Okay. You Tan, me Wem.”

She smiled back. “Yep!”

His face grew serious, and with much effort, he scrambled up onto the bed next to her. “Tan, you tuwned into a duck. I got scawed. Are you okay?”

Tanya wasn’t sure what to say. Her daddy had told her that she could never tell any other kids about her condition. She wasn’t really sure why not, but her daddy was adamant on this issue. But then she remembered that she hadn’t told Rem, he had seen it himself. So since she wasn’t telling him about it, it must be fine. Satisfied with this logic, she nodded to herself and replied to Rem, “Yeah, that happens sometimes. I don’t like it, because it makes Mommy and Daddy sad.”

He leaned in further towards her. “Does it huwt?”

She shook her head. “No, and my daddy makes it all better. I have medicines.” She said this with much importance, and was pleased when her new friend looked suitably impressed. She decided to embellish her statement further. “I have to take it all the time.”

“Does it taste bad?”

Screwing up her face, she said, “Yeah, but it ok. I have to take it.”

He looked at her with admiration, and she practically preened. Then a thought occurred to her, and she said, “You can’t tell people about that, okay, Rem? It a secret.”

His eyes widened, and he nodded solemnly. “I don’t tell. We fwends, Tan. I don’t tell.”

Tanya smiled. “Yep! We frens! Because you came to see me when I was sick. So we frens.”

He smiled back. “I came to see you now, too. You okay now?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Okay. I should go then, my mama said not to stay too wong.” He hopped down off the bed. “I’ll come back wayter, okay?”

“Okay!” She settled back on the pillows and watched him leave, and closed her eyes again, suddenly feeling tired. This time, when she slept, she didn’t have any dreams.

Tanya stayed there with her daddy for a couple more days, and he fussed over her the entire time until she was well enough to get out of bed and walk around. She had been looking forward to playing with Rem when she was better, but as soon as she was able to move around, her daddy announced that it was time to go home. She cried and threw a fit, but he was firm. He picked her up and brought her to a different room where Rem and his mommy were, and told them that he was taking Tanya home. She looked at Rem through her tears, and saw that his eyes were filling up, too. 

“Daddy, can we come back and play soon?” she asked, hiccuping through her tears.

Her daddy’s body stiffened, and he said in a tight voice, “I’m not sure, Tanya.”

Sensing that he was going to deny her seeing Rem, she wailed, “Pleeease, Daddyyyyy!”

Rem’s mommy smiled at her daddy. “It certainly sounds as if the children have taken a liking to each other.” 

Her daddy glared at the pretty woman as Rem piped in, “Tan is my fwend. Can she come pway soon, pwease?” He turned his big eyes up at her daddy, and Tanya decided to join in.

“Please, Daddy?” She looked at him and tried her best to stop crying.

His eyes flickered, and he sighed. “We’ll talk to Mommy when we get home. But right now, we have to get home and see how she’s doing.” He looked back at Rem’s mommy, and studied her for a long moment before bowing his head down low. “I owe you and Mytho a great deal. Thank you for taking care of Tanya.”

Rem’s mommy smiled. “Think nothing of it, Fakir. We were happy to help you. Please feel free to rely on us more. And I hope to see you soon.” She winked at Tanya, and then the whole room faded from sight.


	6. Chapter 6

As they re-entered Gold Crown Town, Fakir breathed a small sigh of relief. The past few days had been extremely nerve-wracking for him. He’d been unable to do any more than watch over Tanya’s slowly growing strength and worry about how Ahiru was doing by herself. Once the town completely solidified around them, he began walking quickly, still holding Tanya in one arm. She huddled her face into his neck meekly, and he heard a small snuffle here and there as she calmed down from her crying spell. The noise pulled on his heart, but also annoyed him. He hadn’t realized that his little daughter had grown so attached to Mytho’s brat while they’d been staying in the castle. This was certainly going to pose a bit of a problem for him. After this experience, there was no way he wanted her traveling back and forth to Mytho’s story. 

Fuming the matter over, his feet took them quickly to Karon’s house. He didn’t even bother knocking on the door, opening it swiftly and calling, “Ahiru? Are you here?”

A head poked out of the kitchen, and his wife gave him a sunny smile. “Fakir, Tanya! You’re back!” Ahiru skipped down the hallway, throwing her arms around the two of them as she laughed brightly. 

Tanya returned her joy, screaming, “Mommy!” Her little body leaned towards her mother as she threw her arms around Ahiru’s neck. As she was squeezed between her parents, though, Tanya protested, “I’m being squished!” 

Ahiru laughed as their daughter squirmed. “Well, Mommy missed you!” Giving Tanya a big kiss, she withdrew, and looked up at her husband. “How is she doing?”

He couldn’t resist giving her a kiss on her forehead before answering. “She’s better, but she still could probably use a day or two in bed to make sure.” Ignoring Tanya’s disappointed wail, he ran a hand over his wife’s hair, looking at her face carefully. “Have you been all right by yourself? No changes?”

“Now, she hasn’t exactly been alone.”

The voice of his father sounded down the hallway, and Fakir looked up to see Karon walking towards them with a smile. Fakir nodded at him and replied, “You’re right. I’m sorry. Thank you very much for staying with Ahiru while I was gone.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all to watch over such a lovely daughter-in-law.” He winked at Ahiru, and she giggled. “Besides, it’s been nice to have someone else cooking around here.”

“Oh, that reminds me! I was making dinner just now!” Ahiru detached herself from her family and bustled back to the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll have it ready in just a little bit, since I have to make more now!”

Fakir frowned slightly. He had wanted to get his girls back home as soon as possible, and make sure that they were both resting. Karon noticed his expression and walked a little closer, smiling gently. “Fakir, Ahiru really has been fine. She hasn’t shown any signs of ill health in any way. I’ve been sure to keep a close eye on her while you’ve been gone. It won’t do any harm for you to stay for dinner.” He turned his gaze to Tanya. “Besides, I haven’t seen my adorable little granddaughter for a while!”

She giggled and held her arms out to Karon. “Grandpa!” she chirped, leaning over towards him until Fakir was forced to transfer her weight into Karon’s arms. He watched with a mixture of uneasiness and amusement as the two of them walked down the hallway, chatting together happily. He supposed there was nothing he could do about the situation. Sighing, he headed into the kitchen.

When his wife’s back came into sight, he felt the tension in his shoulders loosen just a little. He walked over to where she was chopping vegetables and gently circled his arms around her waist. She started, and turned her head to look at him. “Fakir! That scared me! Don’t sneak up on me when I’m holding a knife, that’s not safe.”

“Shut up,” he mumbled against her hair. Closing his eyes, he breathed in her scent.

Her voice softened. “You were pretty worried about us, weren’t you?”

He grunted noncommittally. 

The knife clunked onto the cutting board, and she twisted around, arranging her arms around his neck. “Fakir, you did everything you could. And we’re both fine now. I’m so glad you were there when Tanya changed, or else who knows what we would have done.”

He gritted his teeth. “If my power were stronger, she wouldn’t have changed in the first place.”

“Don’t blame yourself. It probably happened because she was sick. It certainly doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. If you think about it, she’s never really been sick like that before, so it makes sense that we wouldn’t know how her body reacts when it’s weak. We’ll just have to watch her more closely for signs of illness from now on.” She propped her head onto his chest, directly into his line of sight, and smiled sweetly up at him. “And I know that you’ll have no trouble monitoring her for that. You’re such a good father.”

Fakir felt his face turning red, and shifted his eyes sideways. “I don’t really think I’m all that great.”

“Don’t be silly! You’re a wonderful father, and Tanya loves you very much! Probably almost as much as I do.”

His eyes flicked back to his wife’s sunny face, and he felt himself soften a bit. Giving in, he leaned down and gave her a slow, lingering kiss. If Ahiru believed in him, he felt like maybe things wouldn’t be all that bad.

Suddenly, a voice shrilled from behind them, “Eeewww, Mommy, Daddy, no kissin!”

He lifted his head up, but still kept a firm hold on his wife as he turned his head back to look at the kitchen doorway. Tanya was standing there, hands on her hips. Fakir cracked the first smile he’d had in days and leaned his head on Ahiru’s. “But I just want to show Mommy how much I love her.”

Ahiru exclaimed, “Fakir! Don’t you think that’s enough? Besides, I have to get back to cooking!” 

He looked down at her red face and chuckled. He gave her one more quick, firm kiss and said, “There, now I think that’s enough.” In an undertone, he added, “For now,” and enjoyed the shiver that went through his wife’s body. Releasing her, he turned to his daughter and said, “Come on, Tanya, let’s go sit with Grandpa while Mommy cooks.”

They all enjoyed a lively dinner together, although Fakir found himself constantly glancing at his wife and daughter to make sure they weren’t hiding any signs of fatigue or other ill health. When all the dishes had been cleaned up, and Ahiru had thanked Karon profusely for his help, they returned to their own home and prepared for bed. Tanya was sent to change into her pajamas, and all was quiet until she came shuffling down the hallway and knocked softly on her parents’ door. Peeking around the door frame, she asked in a small voice, “Daddy, Mommy, can I sleep with you? Daddy slept with me at the cassle.”

Fakir looked at his wife, and her wide eyes stared back at him. She smiled, and said to Tanya, “Well, if Daddy was sleeping with you, you would be lonely all by yourself when you come back. You can sleep with us, but just for tonight.”

“Yaaay!” The little orange head bobbed excitedly as she bounded across the room and scrabbled up onto the bed. She flopped down in between them, and Fakir patted her back. He actually felt a little better being able to monitor her on their first night back. His gaze flicked to his wife. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt for him to wait until morning to make sure Ahiru had enough of his essence. And he’d ensure it would make up for the days he had been gone.

For the next few days, Fakir watched them both very closely. It seemed as if Tanya was indeed healed, but he made her rest the day after they returned, just to be sure. She spent most of the day whining about how much she wanted to go outside, so that by the end of it, even Fakir was ready to admit that she was feeling better and should be allowed out of the house the next day. Although this placated her at first, he noticed that she started to get more listless again. On the third day after they had returned, he drew her into his lap and asked, “Tanya, are you feeling all right? Is your body feeling sick again?”

She looked up at him with her clear green eyes, and then hung her head down. “No, Daddy. I feel fine.”

“Well, then what’s wrong?”

“I...I wanna go see Rem.”

His breath caught in his throat. “You want to go back there again? Absolutely not! That’s way too dangerous! Tanya, you could collapse again, or worse! I can’t allow you to visit there again.”

Those eyes snapped up to his face, and he was startled to see them already overflowing with tears. She let out a wail, and Ahiru came dashing in from the next room.

“Tanya, are you all right? Fakir, why is she crying?”

He looked up at his wife. Although his heart was hurting for his child, he stood firm. “She wants to go back into Mytho’s story.”

“Mommyyy!” Tanya launched herself off of Fakir’s lap and into Ahiru’s waiting arms. 

Picking up the little girl and patting her back, Ahiru asked quietly, “I suppose she wants to visit Bertrem?”

He nodded, and Ahiru sighed. “Tanya, Daddy and I have to talk. Can you go play in your room for a while?” The little girl sniffled, lifting her face off her mother’s shoulder as she nodded. Ahiru put her down and watched her walk away before turning back to her husband. “Fakir, I understand your fears. I really do. I know how scary this is for you.”

“No you don’t, Ahiru! You have no clue!” Fakir balled his hand up into a fist on his leg. “You don’t know what it was like for me, when I was trying to change you back into a human for over a year. All those trials and failures, and still not being able to save you! And now it’s happening to our daughter too?”

Ahiru walked forward and placed her delicate hand on his shoulder. “You forget that I was there, too. I watched everything you went through for me, and I saw how much you were hurting. Besides, Tanya is my daughter, too, and her condition is because of me. How would I not be able to understand?”

Fakir leaned his head forward until it rested on her stomach. Gently, Ahiru circled her arms around the back of his head. “Fine, you’re right. I’m sorry I said that to you.” For a moment he simply allowed himself to be held and comforted. Then he drew back and looked up at her. “But that doesn’t mean that we should shove her back into Mytho’s story!”

“Fakir, that’s not what I’m saying. I just think it’s time to consider Tanya’s feelings in all of this. You spend so much time thinking about her health that you haven’t stopped to think about what else she needs. We both know that she doesn’t really have any friends here. Imagine how she must have felt just now, when she finally made a friend and you told her that she can’t see him!”

A twinge of guilt pricked at him. But he shot back, “I do care about how she feels, but should that be more important than her well-being?”

“Fakir, don’t be ridiculous! If I thought there was actually any danger for her, I would support you all the way. But I know you, and I know that your power is a lot stronger than you think it is. If you’re there with her, Tanya will be just fine. Besides, what else do you plan to do? Do you want her to stay in the house without any friends until she’s an adult?”

He paused. He hadn’t really thought that far ahead. He still thought of her as his little girl, so he hadn’t considered what would happen as she grew, other than the possibility that she could grow out of her condition. But she was already three. In a few years, she’d be old enough for school. He had planned on teaching her himself to be safe, but where would that leave her? He weighed his wife’s words. As much as he disliked it, Mytho’s son was really her only friend right now. He’d have to figure out what to do about that soon. It was true he didn’t want any of the town’s children finding out her secret, but it wouldn’t do if Tanya eventually fell in love with Bertrem. It would be impossible for her to live in Mytho’s story, as a princess would be expected to. Before that became an issue, he’d have to figure out another alternative for her. But until then…

He heaved a sigh. “I suppose you’re right. She really has taken a liking to him for some reason. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for her to visit him once in a while.” He looked up at his wife sharply. “But not all the time! We have to make sure her reaction last time was actually because she was sick, and not from being inside Mytho’s story.”

Ahiru nodded, trying to hide her smile. “Of course, Fakir. Should we visit them soon, then?”

Feeling defeated, he nodded. “I’ll go find out when a good time is for them.”

Leaning down, Ahiru kissed him sweetly. “Thank you, Fakir. You won’t regret making Tanya happy.”

He grunted, but wondered if his wife’s words would prove to be true.


	7. Chapter 7

Tanya was thrilled when her daddy told her they could go back and visit Rem the next day. She spent the rest of the day planning what to wear until her mommy came in and announced it was bedtime.

The next morning Tanya woke up bright and early, practically falling out of bed in her excitement to go visit her friend. She bounded into her parents’ room and climbed up on their bed, shaking them each in turn. “Mommy! Daddy! Wake up, wake up! We go visit Rem today!”

Her mommy groaned and muttered, “What time is it?”

Her daddy stretched his hand out to grab the small clock on his bedside table and squinted at it. “Too early,” he grumbled.

“Daddyyy, it time to get up!” Tanya bounced on her heels impatiently.

“Sweetie, can you let Mommy and Daddy sleep a little longer? It isn’t time to leave yet. We’ll go after we’ve had breakfast.” Her mommy gave her a sleepy smile.

“Can we have breakfast now?”

Her daddy buried his face in his pillow as her mommy said, “No, not yet. Let us sleep a little more.”

Tanya pouted, and her daddy reached his hand out, fumbling until he found the top of her head and patted it. “Tanya, please, go play for a bit. Or go back to sleep.” With a last tired rub, his hand dropped back down onto the bed.

She climbed off the bed and left the room. There was no way she could go back to sleep, so instead she wandered outside and played halfheartedly until her mommy called her inside for breakfast. She ate quickly and did her best to help with cleaning up, but for some reason it seemed to take longer than it usually did when it was just her mommy and daddy cleaning.

Finally, finally, her daddy announced that it was time to leave. With a squeal, she bounded over to him and held her arms up expectantly. He scooped her up with one arm and held her mommy’s hand. “Now, remember, stay where I can see you, and if you feel strange tell me at once. I have extra pills with me just in case. And we’re only staying for a couple hours, so don’t ask to stay longer.” He gave Tanya a stern look, and she nodded vigorously. He sighed and said, “All right, here we go then.” He closed his eyes, and the world around them started to blur and rearrange itself into a white castle on a fresh green hill. 

When everything had stopped moving, Tanya clapped her hands with delight and looked up to the top of the castle. She waved cheerfully at the guard standing there, and called, “Hello! We here to see Rem!”

The corners of the guard’s mouth perked up. He nodded, turned around, and disappeared from their view. A moment later the doors were opening and they were guided to the courtyard. Rem’s father greeted them with a smile, and once they were close enough he said, “You know, Fakir, you could just put yourself inside of the courtyard instead of outside the gate when you come here.”

Her daddy shook his head. “I don’t want to cause a fuss. Wouldn't it scare your guards if people suddenly appeared in the middle of the castle?”

“Nonsense, they all know about you coming and going already. But I can issue a direct statement to them about it, if you’d be more comfortable with that.”

Her daddy glared at the nice king. “You seem to be assuming that we’ll be traveling back and forth here enough to warrant that.”

Rem’s daddy just smiled serenely. “Well, we’ll see, I suppose.” He turned his gaze to Tanya and greeted her. “Hello, Lady Tanya. Are you feeling well now?”

She nodded. “Yes, I feel fine now. Where Rem?”

He chuckled and pointed towards a small gate at one end of the courtyard. “He has his own little play garden, through that gate. You’re welcome to go in and find him.”

But her daddy squeezed her body tighter as she tried to get down. “Just a second, Mytho. I can’t see her if they play over there.”

“Fakir, it will be fine. We can see the gate, and it’s not like it’s that far away. And besides, I’m sure that the prince has at least one adult with him.” Tanya’s mommy laid her hand on his arm as she spoke, giving him a serious gaze with her clear blue eyes.

He stared at her for a second before relaxing his hold on his daughter. Placing Tanya down on the ground, he knelt in front of her and said to her quietly, “You can go play over there, but remember, come get me if anything is wrong, ok? Don’t wait until you fall over like last time.”

Impatiently, Tanya nodded, not even looking at her daddy. She heard the king laugh. “Fakir, let her go, she wants to go play.”

She felt the hands holding her in place relax, and she was off like an arrow from a bow, running as fast as she could towards the gate. It didn’t take her long to get there, but it took her a few seconds to figure out the mechanism on the gate’s latch, which frustrated her. She worked it out eventually and lifted the catch, letting herself inside. Once she was past the hedges surrounding the little garden, she looked around herself in wonder. It was filled with bushes and flowers, organized neatly into beds of the same color and type, with a pretty stone path marching between them. In the center was a small white fountain that made a soothing, bubbly noise as it flowed. Seated on the edge of the fountain was Rem, his small dark head angled down as he looked at the water. With a squeal of excitement, Tanya ran over to him. His head jerked up towards her as she approached, and he smiled, but his eyes looked sad.

Despite this, Tanya dashed up to him and threw her arms around him in a hug, nearly knocking both of them backwards into the fountain. His arms clutched at her as his body tried to keep them upright, and he eventually managed to steady their momentum. Tanya laughed in delight and yelled, “Rem!”

One of his arms moved to the top of her head, and he patted her awkwardly. “You feewing bettew, Tan?” 

She pulled back, breaking her hold on him, and nodded. “Yep, I all better!”

He gave her a doubtful look. “Weally? My daddy said I have to watch you because you might get sick again.”

“I no get sick again, I feel good!”

Still looking unconvinced, Rem shuffled his foot on the ground. “But...my daddy said that youw mommy is sick, too. He said that a long time ago, youw mommy used to turn into a duck. But then she got some of his hawt so she could be a pewson. But then he had to take his hawt back. So I...I…” tears began trickling down his cheeks. “This is my daddy’s fault that you’we sick!”

Tanya stared at him. Her mommy, turning into a duck too? She had never seen that happen. And Rem’s daddy was the reason for that? She was very confused, and felt like a swirling darkness was winding through her body. She stared at her friend, and felt tears falling down her own face. 

Just then, the sound of the gate opening behind them caught her attention. She turned around and saw her mommy walking into the little garden. Tanya ran towards her crying, “Mommyyyy!” Crashing into her, she buried her face in her mommy’s leg.

“Tanya, what’s wrong? And Prince Bertrem, too? Why are you both crying?” She lifted up Tanya and walked them over to the fountain, sitting next to Bertem on its edge. She wrapped an arm around the little boy and drew him into her side. He buried his face in her, and a small wail came from him.

Tanya’s mommy looked confused. “What is all this? Are you two all right? Are you feeling sick, Tanya?” She pried her daughter’s face out of her shoulder so they could look at each other.

“M-Mommy, Rem said...Rem said that his daddy had to give you some of his heart because you used to turn into a duck too, and then you had to give it back. Are you sick too, Mommy?” As she asked this, more tears dripped down her face.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m not sick. Don’t worry about me, I won’t get sick!” She patted both of the small heads resting on her, imparting the soothing energy of a mother. She waited a while until their sobs had calmed, and then asked Rem, “Why are you upset, Prince?”

He looked up at her, tears shining in his deep ruby eyes. “B-because, it’s my daddy’s fauwt if you’we sick. He took back his hawt from you. And...that means it’s his fauwt that Tan is sick, too.” His lower lip began to quiver.

Tanya’s mommy rested her head on his, and said soothingly, “Prince, you mustn’t be upset about that. Your father told you the truth.” She looked at Tanya. “I should have told you this before, but he’s right. I also used to be a duck. Then I was given a shard of Mytho’s heart, and that allowed me to become human. I didn’t know that the necklace I had was part of his heart, and I used it to help collect the other pieces of his heart. Once we had found all of the others, the only piece left was the one I had, so I gave it back to him. He didn’t take it from me, Prince Bertrem. I gave it to him because he was my friend and I care about him. And then, after that, Tanya, your father found a way to make me be a human all the time. So really, I think it’s much better this way, rather than having the piece of Mytho’s heart. And, Prince, there is no need to blame yourself or your father. It’s because of my past that Tanya has this condition. It’s not your father’s fault, so please don’t be angry or feel sad.” She laid a kiss on top of each of their heads. 

Nestled into her, Tanya and Bertrem’s eyes met. He gave her a tentative look. “So it’s not because of my daddy that Tan is sick?” He lifted his head to direct this question at Tanya’s mommy.

“No, Prince Bertrem. Not at all. You have no reason to be sad. Although it means a lot to me that my daughter’s friend cares about her enough to shed tears for her sake.” She smiled down at the little prince.

“Mommy...do you still get sick?” Tanya’s head was bouncing with questions still.

“No, I haven’t turned into a duck since your daddy made me all better. We were surprised when you were born with this condition, but your daddy is doing his best to figure out how to deal with it for you. And as long as you take your pill, you’re fine, right?”

Tanya thought about this, and nodded.

“See, so it’s nothing to worry about, as long as you listen to your daddy.” She smiled. “Isn’t he cool?”

Tanya gave her mommy a shaky smile in return, and was suddenly squeezed tighter to her mommy’s side.

“Oh, Tanya, I know how scary it must be for you, when you suddenly change into a duck. I remember that happening to me. I’m sorry that you have to go through this, too.” Her voice cracked, and a tear slid from one eye. 

Reaching her hand up, Tanya patted her mommy’s cheek. “It okay, Mommy. I listen to Daddy like you say, so I be fine now. Don’ cry.” Another small hand reached up next to hers and patted her mommy’s other cheek.

Tanya’s mommy opened her eyes and smiled at them. “Thank you, you two. I’m sorry, I’m fine now. You don’t need to worry about me. But I am glad we all talked about this. Are you feeling better now?”

Tanya exchanged glances with her friend, and the two of them nodded.

Her mommy smiled. “That’s good. Now, if you two are feeling better, would you like to play for a while before we have to leave?”

Sniffling heavily, Tanya wiped her face on her sleeve and exclaimed, “Yeah! We play now! Right, Rem?”

Her friend nodded, and they both hopped down to the ground.

Tanya’s mommy stood up. “Well, I’m going to go look for Rue again. But if you two ever have something that’s bothering you again, you can tell me, all right?”

They nodded, and she patted their heads and left the garden.

Tanya turned to her companion and said, “What we play now, Rem?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, I pway what you want.”

She stared at him. “I don’ know what to play, either. My daddy don’ let me play with kids at home.”

Rem thought hard about this. “Sometimes I pway tag with my daddy.”

“How do you play that?”

“It’s easy, I touch you and say ‘tag,’ and you have to chase me and touch me back. If you touch me, you say ‘tag,’ and then I wun afta you.”

Tanya bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. “Ooh, that sound fun! Let’s play!”

Rem nodded, and reached a hand out to tap her shoulder. “Tag!” he yelled, then turned around and ran towards the far end of the garden. Tanya chased after him, laughing as she tried to catch up. 

And, for the rest of that morning, the matter of Tanya’s illness was forgotten.


	8. Chapter 8

After that, Tanya came to visit Bertrem fairly frequently. They eventually settled into a weekly visit schedule, and Bertrem started to look forward to the days that she would appear, always being held by her father, in the middle of their courtyard, with her green eyes sparkling and ready for play. Bertrem was a rather serious child, and having a friend like Tanya around was rather startling for him at first. He was used to playing alone, and didn’t really know how to interact with this vibrant little girl who had suddenly appeared in his life. But even as he got pulled along by her in her games, he couldn’t help feeling comforted by her presence. Soon, it seemed like she was the only thing that lit up his days, and when she was absent he often wondered if the castle was darker.

Two years passed like this, until the day came for Bertrem to be introduced to the other noble families of the country. Formally, this was so that they could be acquainted with their future king, but in reality, it was a way for the various noble houses could shove their children at him as potential playmates. Those with sons hoped to have them chosen as advisors to the future king, and those with daughters hoped for an engagement. Bertrem himself would have been only vaguely aware of an uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding the event if he had not overheard his parents discussing it a few days before it was held.

He had been playing in the solar, hidden behind a couch, when he heard them come in. His father was in the middle of a sentence, and he only caught the end of it as they walked into the solar and shut the door behind them.

“...really such a pity that Fakir won’t bend on the betrothement issue with Tanya.”

“Mytho, we’ve been over this. You can’t force him to betrothe his daughter to Bertrem. I know that you don’t like the thought of all the nobles trying to push their daughters onto him, but there’s nothing we can do about it. As the rulers of this country, we must accept the nobles graciously so they all feel valued.” His mother’s voice was firm, but still held affection for her husband.

“I know, you’re right. I just wanted to avoid all of this. It’s not fair for Bertrem to be expected to pander to all of those spoiled children just because their parents want to form a connection with the royal family. You and I both know that it will be a miracle if there are any children there who care about him apart from his status as a prince.”

“Yes, but Bertrem has a good head on his shoulders for a child his age. Besides, there aren’t more than half a dozen children close to his own age, anyway, so we don’t need to worry that much. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

His father sighed. “You’re right, Rue. I just don’t want him to feel uncomfortable.”

At that moment, a guard knocked on the door of the solar. His parents were called away on a different matter, and Bertrem was left alone to think. He was surprised that his father was so worried about him. In light of that, he would be sure to be careful of the other children at the tea party. But he concluded that the event wouldn’t be all that bad, because Tan’s parents had promised that she could attend. So, although he was sure to keep his father’s words in mind, he didn’t waste too much of his time worrying, and instead looked forward to the day since he would be able to see his friend.

His attendants didn’t seem to share his laid-back assessment of the situation, however, and spent an unbearably long time getting him ready on the morning of the tea party. Normally, he was allowed a large degree of autonomy when getting dressed in the morning, but for this formal event, he was fussed over and dressed and redressed until he felt like he was going to fly apart at the seams. Finally, he was pronounced ready, and allowed to join his mother and father for lunch. They exclaimed how handsome he looked, and reminded him not to mess up his clothes before the tea party that afternoon. Bertrem simply nodded at their words and escaped to his private garden as soon as he was able. Tanya knew about his fondness for this place, and knew to seek him out here whenever she arrived in the castle. So he settled in by the coolness of the fountain, lying down on its edge. Soon, the rippling of the water lulled him to sleep.

He was roused by a finger poking his cheek. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and looked around to see who had woken him. A pair of bright emerald eyes greeted him, and he smiled. Tanya was here! 

Then his eyes took in the rest of her form. Her fiery orange hair that was normally confined only in a simple ponytail was caught up at the back of her head by braids that intertwined along the sides of her head. Some of her hair was allowed to fall freely under the halo of braids, but it was brushed to a glossy, straight sheen that belied its usual wildness. She was also wearing a dress of a pale baby blue, falling just short of her feet and cinched at the waist with a wide white satin ribbon. She saw him staring and smiled broadly. “Don’t I look nice?” she trilled, spinning in a circle to allow him to fully admire her. 

Dumbly, he nodded. She did indeed look very nice.

She continued, “My mommy...I mean, my mother got me a new dress just for today, and did my hair all fancy! It was so much fun! Look, I even got new shoes!” She stuck her foot out for him to see, revealing a pair of sleek white shoes. He simply nodded again.

“Anyway, your m...mother sent me to find you. She said the guests will be arriving soon, and that we should go to the garden so you can greet them.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him upright. “Come on, Rem, let’s go!” As he fell into step beside her, she made a face. “Oh, I mean, Prince Bertrem.”

He looked at her quizzically. “Why are you talking funny today?”

She glared at him. “I’m not talking funny! My mommy...I mean, my mother said that I have to talk to everyone like this today. She said it’s good manners, and that I can’t call you Rem while the other kids are around you. She said that it’s not respectful.”

He simply stared at her, trying to sort through his feelings. On one hand, he didn’t like her addressing him so formally. But on the other hand, her mother had a point. If other children heard her calling him by his nickname, they might think that Tanya was an ill-bred person. The thing that bothered him more though was the chance that if someone else heard her nickname for him that they would also attempt to call him Rem. Nobody, not even his parents, called him by that name besides Tanya. It was something that only they shared, and he liked it being kept that way, as a special thing shared between them. 

He finally decided that Tanya’s mother had done well to instruct her to speak formally today just as they were arriving at the garden. Tanya pulled Bertrem up to his mother, and tugged at her skirt. The queen looked down at the pair and smiled, but as she opened her mouth, Tanya let out a small noise of dismay. Stepping back and dropping Bertrem’s hand, she gathered her skit in her hands and swept into a slightly clumsy curtsey. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I should have greeted you first!” 

Bertrem’s mother smiled wider and replied, “It’s quite all right, Tanya. I know you’re doing your best to remember all these manners, since normally we can simply talk together. You did a fine job of catching yourself just now. But, here, dear.” She reached out and adjusted Tanya’s body a small bit, then nodded in satisfaction. “There. That curtsey is much better. Do it just like that, and you’ll have no difficulties. And don’t hold it so long, you only need to do it for a second or so and then you can stand back up.”

Tanya straightened her body and beamed up at the queen. “Yes, Your Majesty! I will do my best today so that Rem...I mean, Prince Bertrem can have a nice time at his party!”

His mother chuckled. “I’m sure he will, my dear. Now why don’t you go sit at the children’s table? Bertrem will be over as soon as he is done making his introductions.”

“Okay!” Tanya turned and began scurrying across the lawn, but caught herself after a few steps and started walking in a deliberately stately manner. Bertrem couldn’t keep a smile off his face as he watched his rambunctious friend. It felt nice that she was going to such lengths to try to help him. He would have to make sure to take care of her today, too.

He looked up. “Are we almost ready, Mother?”

She patted his hair, straightening it absently. “Yes, your father is just settling in Tanya’s parents, and then our guests should be arriving any minute now.”

Bertrem nodded, and took his place next to his mother, holding his hands clasped loosely behind his back, and tried to keep his eyes from straying to Tanya too much as she sat alone at a large, low table.

Soon, though, his mother’s prediction turned out to be correct, and nobles began streaming into the tea party. He lost track of all the names and faces that passed before him, but he did his best to remember, as he knew this would be important information in the future that he would have to remember. A few of the families had children, but they were all much older than him, and went to sit with the adults at the other tables. Eventually, however, two families arrived together, both with sons around his own age. They bowed and introduced themselves to him, and then presented their sons. 

The first boy who was shoved forward by his father introduced himself as Hinrich von Stein, a short boy with small, beady eyes that darted all around. The second boy, a tall, lanky child, gave his name as Ulrich von Schwarzfels. Both were sons of barons, and Bertrem took an immediate dislike to them. Something in their eyes grated on his nerves. But he stifled this feeling and bowed back, thanking them for attending. His mother pointed the two boys towards the table where Tanya was seated as their parents went to mingle with the adults. The hair on Bertrem’s neck stood on end as he watched the boys walk over to the table and sit down next to Tanya. He didn’t like the idea of them being alone with her at all.

He turned to his mother. “How many more guests are there?”

She smiled down at him. “Not many, Bertrem. Are you tired of standing?”

He grunted, content to let her think that. He didn’t know why, but he felt the need to join Tanya as soon as possible.

The next family was already being shown into the garden, however. This one also contained a child his own age, but this one was a girl. She was small and pleasantly plump, with golden hair and a bright twinkle in her blue eyes. His father stepped forward and greeted her parents enthusiastically. 

“Duke Benno! Duchess, it’s so wonderful that you were able to join us today.”

The duke, a kind-looking man with light brown hair, smiled in return and said, “Not at all, King Siegfried. It’s an honor to be invited.”

Bertrem’s father laughed. “It’s not really an honor between friends, is it, Duke Benno?” He shifted his gaze to the child, and said, “And who is this lovely young lady?”

The duke puffed up visibly. “This is my daughter. Go ahead and introduce yourself to the prince.”

The girl stepped forward, and made an elegant curtsey towards Bertrem that made her hair bounce delightfully in the sun. “Pleased to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Elsebeth von Sommerstern, the daughter of Duke von Sommerstern.” She smiled prettily as she straightened up.

The duke smiled proudly at Bertrem’s father. “Isn’t she adorable? Just like my wife.” He grinned at his wife, who blushed prettily.

“Yes, I understand. Bertram also resembles his mother, and I find it quite adorable.”

Bertrem’s mother cut in, addressing her husband by his formal name in the presence of the other nobles. “Siegfried, you can chat with the duke and duchess after all of our guests have been greeted. And Lady Elsebeth is welcome to join the other younger guests at that table. Prince Bertrem will also be heading there shortly.” She indicated the children’s table with an elegant wave of her hand.

The duke chuckled. “Can’t argue with your wife, can you, King Siegfried? Ah well, we’ll catch up later.” He bowed slightly to his king, and the family parted ways. Bertrem watched the daughter as she walked to the children’s table, feeling immensely relieved that Tanya would no longer be alone with those two boys. He got the impression that Elsebeth was, at the very least, more trustworthy than those barons’ sons.

Already another family was waiting to be greeted, and he saw that this family also had a daughter, about his own height, with an abundance of curling black hair. As soon as his eyes met those of the girl’s, however, she put on a simpering expression that set his stomach churning. He tried his best to keep his usual bland face on as she stepped forward and curtseyed for him. “Greetings, Your Highness. My name is Ottilie von Schauenburg, daughter of Count von Schauenburg. I’m very pleased to meet you.” She raised her head slightly and blinked slowly up at him from under her eyelashes. 

He managed to incline his head back to her politely. “I am Prince Bertrem. Thank you to you and your family for attending.”

His mother checked the clock in the garden, and said to Bertrem, “Why don’t you walk Lady Ottilie over to the table? We seem to have most of our guests in attendance, and it appears to be time to start the tea party.”

He stared at his mother for a moment, then nodded stiffly. He disliked that he was being made to personally escort this unpleasant girl. She seemed unaware of his distaste, however, and squealed, attaching herself onto his arm. Gently, he stepped as far from her as he felt he could get without making a scene, and repositioned her grip so that she wasn’t clinging onto him. He supposed he shouldn’t complain too much. Even if he had to go with this count’s daughter, he was still able to go join Tanya now and make sure she was all right.

As they got within earshot of the table, it became clear that something was wrong. Frowning, Bertrem quickened his pace, ignoring the protests of his partner, as bits of the conversation began to come to his ears.

“...sure don’t look like a noble girl. How did you even get in here? I’ve never seen you before.” The taller boy, the son of Baron von Schwarzfels, was speaking to Tanya in a derisive tone.

Tanya answered simply, “I’m not a noble. My da—my father brought me here.”

The other boy, Baron von Stein’s son, cut in, “I knew it, she couldn’t be a noble. She even smells bad, like a commoner.”

Bertrem’s blood boiled, but he wasn’t quite close enough to speak. He was considering opening his mouth to shout at the two boys anyway when the plump little girl cut in smoothly.

“Oh, did you notice that smell, also? I thought it seemed to be coming from your side of the table, however. I guess I was wrong.” She gazed at Baron von Stein’s son and smiled, a venomous smile that didn’t reach her eyes. 

By now Bertrem had finally walked close enough to the table that he could sit. He pulled out a chair for the count’s daughter next to the son of Baron von Schwarzfels...Ulrich, was that his name? She sat down, and Probably-Ulrich stared at her as she settled in next to him.

Bertrem flicked his gaze away from him. As long as Probably-Ulrich was interested in the count’s daughter, he would leave Tanya alone, and that’s all Bertrem really cared about. He looked around the table and noted with displeasure that there were only two remaining seats; one next to the count’s daughter, and the other next to the daughter of his father’s friend, Elsebeth. She caught his gaze and smiled.

“Your Highness, would you mind if I took this seat instead? I seem to be getting some glare from the sun in this seat.” She stood and moved over a seat, leaving the space next to Tanya vacant. Bertrem shot her an appreciative glance, and walked over, sitting down decisively next to his friend.

As soon as he sat, he heard a voice behind him. “Sorry I’m late, everyone.” He turned his head and saw another boy about their age walking towards them. He quickly located Bertrem and stopped a short distance from the table, giving a bow with many flourishes. Bertrem supposed it might have looked impressive if an adult had done it, but with a child’s body, it simply looked ridiculous. When the boy raised his head, Bertrem got a good look into his face and immediately liked the glint in his golden eyes. The playful, almost mischievous look reminded him of Tanya’s eyes.

“I am Lorenz von Lüneburg, son of Duke von Lüneburg.” He looked around the table and located the only empty seat, and smiled. “Well, looks like me being late wasn’t too bad. I get to sit next to these pretty ladies.” He winked at Elsebeth, but she simply stared impassively back at him as he took his seat. Bertrem gave Lorenz a long look, and wondered where on earth he had learned this ridiculous behavior that seemed so outrageous for a child. It did not occur to him that his own cool detachment was also unlike the behavior of other children his age.

Tanya broke the silence first, smiling around at the table sunnily. “Well, it’s nice to meet everyone. Lorenz, my name is Tanya. It’s nice to meet you.” She seemed confused for a moment as she seemed to realize that she couldn’t execute a curtsey while seated, and then settled on a deep nod instead. 

Lorenz gave her a wide-eyed stare in return. “My, what a beautiful lady. It is a pleasure to meet you too.”

Tanya giggled at this praise, and Bertrem scowled darkly at Lorenz. Maybe he didn’t like this boy too much after all.

Tanya had already turned her attention to the daughter of Count von Schauenburg, however. She chirped, “Hello! My name is Tanya, what is your name?”

The girl gave her a look of barely-concealed contempt. “My name is Ottilie von Schauenburg, My father is Count von Schauenburg. What house are you from?”

Tanya waved her hands in front of her. “Oh, no, I’m not a noble.”

The count’s daughter clicked her tongue. “Then you should have waited for me to introduce myself to you first. It’s bad manners to talk to someone whose rank is above yours without them speaking to you first.”

Tanya’s eyes widened. “Oh no, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Bertrem cut in, giving the Ottilie the count’s daughter a stern look. “She is my friend, and has been invited here by me personally today.”

Elsebeth clapped her hands gently together. “Oh, my, isn’t that lovely! Lady Tanya, how do you know His Highness?”

Tanya smiled at the other girl, completely unguarded. “Our parents are friends.”

The son of Baron von Stein scoffed. Was his name Heinrich? Bertrem wasn’t sure, and found himself caring less and less as the boy spoke. “How can that be? If your parents aren’t nobles, how can they be friends with Their Majesties? You aren’t suggesting that they would be friends with commoners, are you?”

Bertrem locked his gaze on Probably-Heinrich. “I can assure you that Tanya is right. Our parents are friends. And she comes from a different country, where her parents are very important people.” He wasn’t strictly lying, he reasoned with himself. He had gathered from his conversations with Tanya that her father was in charge of running the town they lived in, and the world they came from certainly counted as a foreign country.

Luckily, Elsebeth backed him up with ladylike enthusiasm. “Oh my, that sounds exciting! Lady Tanya, is your father like a prime minister? I’ve heard some other countries have those to help the king and queen run the country.”

Bertrem cut in smoothly, worried about how his friend would answer that question. “Yes, it’s something like that,” he confirmed. He darted his gaze at Tanya, and thankfully she seemed to catch his meaning and nodded along with him.

Bertrem cast his gaze around at the three sitting opposite from him and said in a low voice, “So please keep that in mind when you are addressing Lady Tanya from here on out.”

Ottilie, Probably-Heinrich and Probably-Ulrich all seemed to get his meaning, and dark looks passed over their faces. Thankfully for them, waiters came over at that moment to serve refreshments, and the subject was dropped. But during the rest of the party, Bertrem kept seeing Ottilie cast dark glances at Tanya, despite the attention she was receiving from Baron von Schwarzfels’ son next to her, whose name did in fact turn out to be Ulrich. As the barons’ sons chatted together, however, he discovered that the son of Baron von Stein was Hinrich, not Heinrich as he had remembered. He did his best to engrave the names into his memory. He would have to be on his guard with these two, and that Ottilie girl, as well, since they seemed to have some grudge against Tanya.

Eventually, he allowed himself to relax a little, and noticed that while he had been observing the children he had marked as problematic, Tanya had been having a rather lively conversation with Elsebeth. To his surprise, the precocious boy, Lorenz, had also joined in. Bertrem cautiously allowed himself to be drawn into the fold by Tanya, and discovered that maybe his first impression of the boy hadn’t been so far off. He certainly seemed pleasant enough, and Bertrem found himself having a nice time. 

When the party ended, Bertrem stood as he had been instructed by his mother, and bade farewell to each of his guests individually. He made sure to see off the two barons’ sons and Ottilie first, almost sighing with relief as they went back to their parents. He turned to his remaining guests, and was surprised when his hand was grasped firmly by Lorenz. 

“Well, Your Highness, it was a lot of fun today! Thank you for inviting me. I would love to come play again.”

Bertrem regarded him silently for a moment, then nodded. “You may call me Prince Bertrem.” He had been told by his mother to give this permission to children that he would want to play with again, and although this boy seemed a bit flighty, he also intrigued Bertrem.

Lorenz widened his eyes, but recovered quickly. “Of course, Prince Bertrem.” He turned his attention to the girls and added, “I’d also love to see you ladies again.” He picked up Elsebeth’s hand and placed a kiss on the back of it, then turned to Tanya and reached for her hand. 

Angrily, Berterm slapped his hand away before he could touch Tanya. Lorenz looked at him in surprise, then the mischievous smile returned to his face. “Well, then, Prince Bertrem, until next time.” He executed that ridiculous bow again, and went to find his parents. Bertrem watched him go with some bewilderment, and was able to catch a glimpse of Lorenz’s father as he caught up the hand of a woman that he assumed was Lorenz’s mother and placed a kiss on it, looking at her with doting eyes. Suddenly the boy’s behavior made a lot more sense.

He returned his attention back to his remaining guest, and bowed to her. “Lady Elsebeth, thank you for attending today. You may also call me Prince Bertrem if you’d like.”

She smiled at him, her plump cheeks dimpling pleasantly. She stepped a little closer and said in a low voice, “Prince Bertrem, I believe my father was hoping that I would be engaged to you after today, but I see that it is unnecessary to think of such things.” She stepped backwards as he stared at her in confusion, and addressed her attention to Tanya. “Lady Tanya, I would like it very much if I could come back when you are here to play.”

Tanya’s face lit up, and she instantly dropped all of her manners. “Really? That would be so much fun! I come once a week to play with Rem. Oh, and please call me Tanya!”

Elsebeth laughed. “Then please call me Elsebeth as well. I will look forward to playing with you and Prince Rem.”

“Bertrem.” The correction was out of his mouth before he could stop it.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. Of course, Prince Bertrem. Tanya, goodbye!” She waved at them and went off to find her parents.

The two of them stood and watched her go, Bertrem feeling unsure about what had just happened. He supposed it was good that he had found two potential new friends, especially since they were children of important nobles in the kingdom. However, he wasn’t really sure how much he liked either of them. 

Tanya, however, seemed to have only one thought. “Rem, can we go to the little garden now? I sure would like to lie down on the fountain for a while.”

He spun to face her. “Are you all right, Tan? Are you feeling tired? Do you need me to get your father? He has your pills, right?”

She laughed. “I’m not feeling sick, Rem, I’m just tired. All that wore me out.” She looked around to make sure the other children were gone, and took his hand and began leading him towards the garden. “Anyway, I guess it was fun, at least. I really like Elsebeth!”

Well, he supposed if Tanya liked Elsebeth, then the girl couldn’t be that bad. He decided it would be fine to invite her back to the castle after all, as long as Tanya was there.

Tanya continued, “And that boy, Lorenz. He was sure funny, wasn’t he?”

Bertrem glowered at her back. Maybe he wouldn’t invite that duke’s son to play after all.


	9. Chapter 9

Tanya’s visits to Bertrem’s castle grew much livelier after the tea party. She still had her regular play dates with him, but more and more frequently either Lorenz or Elsebeth was there as well. Some days both of them would come, and the four of them would all play together, although there was often a lot of arguing between Elsebeth and Lorenz over whether they would play a quiet game such as house or a loud game like war. The two of them fought more often than they agreed about most things. Eventually, Lorenz also stopped showering Elsebeth with the attentions that he seemed to give every girl, and after several play dates where Bertrem took Lorenz off by himself, he also stopped behaving this way towards Tanya as well. Tanya found that she liked the boy more once he had stopped putting on these airs, and they all began to get along better together, although it seemed that nothing could stop Elsebeth and Lorenz from bickering at every chance they could get. 

One day, about half a year after the tea party, Tanya and her parents came for a visit, and she found Bertrem alone in the garden. Usually when Elsebeth or Lorenz came over to play, he would wait for his guests in the courtyard, so as she approached him, Tanya asked, “Are the others coming today?”

Bertrem looked up at her, and it seemed to Tanya like he was sulking a little. “No, they’re not. Why, would you rather play with them?”

She blinked at him. “No, I like playing with Rem best.”

He seemed to relax a little at her words. “Good. Because I told them they can only come once a month from now on.”

Surprised, Tanya sat down next to him on the fountain’s edge and tried to look into his averted face. “Why?”

He refused to meet her eyes as he answered. “I just like playing with you alone sometimes.”

Tanya smiled. “Me too. I like being with Rem best.” 

Finally, he turned to look at her, and smiled back.

After that, their visits together felt more like normal again, and they were only joined once a month by Lorenz and Elsebeth. Before Tanya had realized, another year had passed, and it was Bertrem’s seventh birthday.

Although it wasn’t their normally scheduled play day, Tanya and her family made the trip to the castle for Bertrem’s party, which at his request was a small affair with just their two families present. Tanya gave him a handkerchief that she had made, as Bertrem’s mother had recently been teaching her how to embroider. He took it solemnly and tucked it into his pocket before receiving his gift from his parents. It was a box with a long, thin shape, and Tanya couldn’t contain her curiosity as Bertrem opened it, standing close by his side as he took off the lid. 

Inside was a small, thin practice sword. With wide eyes, Bertram looked at his parents, and his father said, “Bertrem, it’s time for you to start learning the sword. Beginning tomorrow, you will have lessons with a fencing tutor as part of your regular lessons. You will be expected to practice every day, even on days when you don’t have your other lessons. It is very important that a king be able to wield a sword to protect his people.”

Staring down at the sword, Bertram nodded, and slowly picked it up. “Thank you Father, Mother.” He gave it a slow swing.

His mother said briskly, “Now, none of that yet. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow when you see your tutor.” She put the sword and its box away, but Tanya felt her eyes follow it. As soon as she had seen the sword, she had felt like something inside of her was calling to it. She didn’t know why, but she knew that she had to convince Bertrem to let her use ir.

The next time she came to visit, she dashed to the little garden as quickly as she could and cornered him. “Rem, teach me how to use the sword!” she exclaimed, panting a little from her mad dash.

He stared at her, and she saw the flicker of confusion in his otherwise serene eyes. “Why would you want to learn that, Tan?” 

She looked down and scuffed at the stones of the path with her foot. “Well, I’m not really sure if I can explain it. I just...I have to, that’s all. Please?” She looked up at him, trying her best to use the same look she had seen that Ottilie girl give all the boys around her. Although Bertrem seemed to dislike most of the noble children other than Elizabeth and Lorenz (and even his favor for them seemed tenuous), he couldn’t avoid meeting with them at all, and there had been a few other tea parties over the last year and a half that Tanya had also been invited to. She had noticed how Ottilie looked at the other two boys, Ulrich in Himrich, and how in particular Ulrich did whatever she wanted after that. She disliked using such tactics, but figured it was worth it if it meant she could learn to use the sword.

As soon as she had tried it on Bertrem, however, his face darkened, and he got up off the fountain and came over to her. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll teach you how to use the sword if you never again copy anything you see that count’s daughter do.”

She stared at him, amazed that he had picked apart her actions so quickly, and nodded. She couldn’t help a smile breaking across her face as she added, “It’s a deal!” She stuck out her hand, and Bertrem shook it gently.

Tanya withdrew her hand from Bertrem’s and clapped. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s get your sword!”

He shook his head. “Not so fast, Tan. There’s no way I’m going to let you use a sword.”

“What? But you just said you would!”

“No, I said I’d teach you how to use one, not that I’d let you hold one right away. If you want to use my sword, you’ll have to show me first that you can do it without hurting yourself.”

She huffed at him. Sometimes she felt like he worried over her as much as her dad. “Fine. Then what are we going to use?”

Bertrem looked around, and walked over to a small pile of branches that the gardeners had trimmed but not cleared away yet. Rummaging through them, he produced two good-sized sticks, and snapped off the stray twigs so that he was left with two fairly long and straight pieces. Walking back to Tanya, he handed one to her and said, “That’s your sword now. Treat it as such. But before we start working on the motions with it, you have to run three laps around this garden.”

She stared at him, but to her surprise he clapped his hands at her. “Come on, get going! Here, I’ll even run with you. It won’t hurt me to have some extra practice.” He grabbed her hand and began jogging around the edge of the garden. Once she was matching his pace, he let go of her hand. 

When they were done running, he put her through a few other strengthening exercises and stretches before she was allowed to pick up the stick. Only then did he show her two sword swings; one to hit, and one to block. They stood next to each other and practiced these until they heard Tanya’s parents approaching and quickly hid the sticks under a bench. 

Tanya proved to be a fast learner, and soon Bertrem allowed her to use his practice sword, although he seemed reluctant even after admitting that she had the necessary skill. Soon, they had progressed to mock sparring sessions, using an extra practice sword that Bertrem had found somewhere and kept stored under some loose bricks beneath the bench. Within another year, she started to notice that her skill level was getting close to his, but she could never seem to quite catch up. This only made her more determined, and she whittled herself a wooden practice sword at home. After her lessons for the day were done at home, she often took the wooden sword into the woods to practice alone, coming home only in time for dinner. Her parents noticed her body was getting stronger, and seemed to write it off to her frequent playing in the woods, and didn’t question it any further. In particular, her dad seemed to be happy to accept her body’s new durability, and during that year’s experiment to see if she had outgrown her condition, it was discovered that she could now go four days rather than three without the medicine before she turned into a duck. Her dad was very happy, and her mom made a special dinner in celebration that night. As Tanya ate it, she felt a small amount of guilt with every bite. 

But still time marched on. Tanya began receiving etiquette lessons from Queen Rue during her regular play times with Bertrem, as his sword training schedule shifted. The queen had said with a sweet smile that instead of adjusting their play date, Tanya should simply use that time for something constructive instead, since she was attending so many of Bertrem’s parties anyway. Her dad had grumbled at the queen, but in the end Tanya’s mom had smoothed her hand over his arm, and Tanya had begun the etiquette lessons. They were much less exciting than the sword session she had with Bertrem, but as she was often reminded by the queen when her attention began to wander, this was something that was necessary for her if she wanted to continue supporting Bertrem when he was with other nobles. So she bore through this new torture, even when the lessons inexplicably included topics such as history of the kingdom and how to handle international relations with other countries. Whenever she questioned the lesson content, Queen Rue simply smiled and said it was necessary knowledge if she was going to talk to the nobles of the country. And with the prince’s tenth birthday drawing closer, she had to study all she could.

And so, between her new lessons, sword training, and playing with Elsebeth and Lorenz, time passed rather more quickly than Tanya realized, and soon it was the day of Bertrem’s birthday party.


	10. Chapter 10

“Now, remember, you must be sure not to ignore Princess Berenguela. She has come a great distance to attend this party as a show of good faith between our kingdoms, so you must be a good host for her.”

Bertrem stared at his mother as they walked towards the castle’s garden, repressing his response. This was at least the third time that day she had reminded him to pay attention to the princess who would be attending his birthday party. Surely she didn’t think he was dense enough to scorn foreign royalty?

His mother seemed to understand his gaze, as she scolded him, “Don’t look at me like that, Bertrem. I know that you are a smart boy, but I also know that when Tanya is involved you tend to forget that other people exist. I’m just trying to remind you to do your duty as a prince of this kingdom, even if your personal feelings differ a little.”

Wordlessly, he nodded. His mother sighed, and reached out to smooth down his hair. “Really, sometimes you’re so much like your father.”

“Whatever could you mean by that, my dear wife?” Bertrem’s father asked from the other side of her. 

“Oh, Mytho, you know what I mean! You’re both just so serious sometimes!”

“Well, I certainly don’t think that’s a bad thing. Bertrem, you’ll do fine. I would even say that Tanya will probably help you when it comes to entertaining our foreign guest. Be sure to follow your etiquette training, and we’ll all have a wonderful time.” He smiled at his wife and son as they emerged into the garden. Bertrem hardly had time to blink at him before a soft glow heralded the arrival of his friend. Excitedly, he turned his head towards the light, and saw Tanya materializing along with her father. As their forms solidified, Fakir looked around quickly for his daughter, a relieved look appearing on his face when he located her. Tanya, however, was glancing around the garden, and when her eyes met Bertrem’s they lit up. She quickly dropped her father’s hand to dash towards him.

“Rem! Happy birthday!” she cried, flinging her arms around his neck as she bounded up to him. He caught her with the ease of practice, steadying their bodies so they wouldn’t go tumbling down and mess up their nice clothing. She drew back and smiled at him as her father approached with a much slower gait. 

Bertrem’s father nodded to the other man and said, “Thank you for coming, Fakir. Is Ahiru with you today?”

“No, not today. I got Karon to stay with her, since she was feeling a little tired and not up for the journey.”

“Ah, I see. Well, it’s nice that you can count on your father then, isn’t it?”

Bertrem listened with some interest to their conversation. He had heard a lot about Tanya’s grandfather, but had never met him, and he was always interested in more information about this unknown member of Tanya’s family. She quickly drew his attention solely to herself though as she produced a small package from a fold in her skirt.

“Rem, I wanted to give this to you before other people arrived. I made it myself, so I’m not sure how good it is, and I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of all the nobles. Anyway, happy birthday!” She held out the package with two hands, a slight blush dusting her cheeks.

He stared at her face for a moment, entranced, before reaching out and taking the proffered gift. He opened the lid, and a sweet smell filled the air. “Are these...cookies?” He looked up at her, wanting to gauge her expression.

She nodded, still looking embarrassed. “You don’t have to eat them now, especially since we’re about to have treats, but I wanted to try to make something for you.” 

Bertrem watched, fascinated, as the blush on her cheeks spread further. He managed to murmur, “No, Tan, they smell very nice.” Picking one out of the box, he bit into it, and chewed thoughtfully. The flavor was fine, but the texture left a little to be desired. Overbaked, and yet somehow still slightly too soft in the middle.

Tanya watched him anxiously as he ate. “Is it all right?”

He popped the rest of the cookie in his mouth and nodded. “Very good. Thank you for making them for me. I’ll be sure to save the rest and eat them later.” He carefully put the lid back on the box and motioned over one of his attendants to take it.

Tanya beamed at him as his mother cut in. “Now, Tanya dear, I’m afraid I must ask you for a bit of a favor today.”

She looked up at the queen with surprise, but quickly rearranged her features and nodded, dropping into a curtsey. “I’ll certainly do my best, Your Majesty.”

“Excellent. Now, Bertrem has to attend to an important guest, so he’ll have to stay with me until she arrives. We’re not sure when that will be, so may I count on you to entertain the other children until Bertrem is available?”

Tanya looked a little disconcerted by the request, but she nodded her head firmly. “I’ll do my best to help Rem today!”

Her father broke in with a snap in his voice. “Don’t you think that’s a bit unfair to ask her to cater to a bunch of noble brats, Rue? She isn’t even from this world and you want to saddle her with that responsibility?” He glared at Bertrem’s mother.

She looked back at him coolly. “I have been working with Tanya for some time now, Fakir, and I can tell you that she is more than up to the task of chatting with a few children for a short time. And, besides, she has interacted with all of them fairly regularly, and is friends with at least two of them. And she knows that she can come get any one of us if she needs help.” Turning to Tanya, she smiled and added, “Not that I think she’ll need it.”

Tanya turned to her father. “Dad, please I’ll be fine. It’s like Queen Rue said, I’ll be fine on my own.”

Clapping her hands, the queen said authoritatively, “There, so that’s settled. Now, everyone look alive, we have our first guests arriving. Bertrem, Tanya, remember your lessons, and let’s all have fun!”

Bertrem turned and saw Duke von Sommerstern and his wife approaching, with Elsebeth not far behind them. Tanya’s face lit up, and he saw her catch herself from running towards her friend. Instead, she waited until they were close and dropped a curtsey, saying, “Lady Elsebeth, it’s lovely to see you again!”

Elsebeth chuckled. “Why, Tanya, there’s no need to address me so formally. We are friends, you know.”

“I would just like to observe proper manners for this party, Lady Elsebeth.” Tanya held firm, and Bertrem felt the corner of his mouth prick up. 

Elsebeth seemed to have similar feelings, as a smile ghosted over her face as well. She turned to Bertrem and swept him a graceful curtsey. “Prince Bertrem, may I congratulate you on the occasion of your tenth birthday?”

“Thank you, Lady Elsebeth. It’s an honor.”

Duke von Sommerstern grinned and said to Tanya’s father, “Well, Fakir, looks like our children are growing up fast, eh?”

He glared at the other man, and said in a strained voice, “I suppose so.”

The duke laughed. “Well, come on now, old man. The children will be headed off to their table, so let’s go find seats of our own and leave them to it.” He offered his arm to his wife, and the three of them walked away, although Fakir gave a last glance at Tanya before he went. She was too busy guiding her friend to the children’s table to notice, however.

Bertrem watched them walk away, feeling a bit lonely. His mother drew his attention back to his duties, and he quickly lost himself in a blur of faces as he greeted the guests and accepted birthday wishes. Every time one of the nobles his age arrived, he unconsciously felt his eyes following as they walked to the table where Tanya presided over an ever-growing group.

Finally, when most of the nobles had been accounted for, he saw two of the castle guards escorting a small party of people he didn’t recognize. He watched with interest as they approached. This had to be the foreign princess. There were two ladies and a guard that he didn’t recognize, in armor that he did recognize as being from their neighboring nation of Castile. He focused on the two girls, and quickly identified the one that must be the princess. She walked at the front of the party and wore an elaborate gown of a deep purple that bore a nice contrast to her flowing dark brown hair and violet eyes. She appeared to be a couple years older than him, with a strong gaze and a defined, straight nose that made her look as if she was observing the entire world as her domain. She walked up to him and greeted him with a small curtsey. He returned with a bow, acknowledging her position as a fellow royal. As they both straightened, she spoke, with a pleasantly full-bodied voice.

“Prince Bertrem, I assume? I am Princess Berenguela of Castile. I have come on behalf of my country to congratulate you on this occasion.”

Bertrem nodded in response. “Yes, I am Prince Bertrem. Thank you for coming all this way, Princess Berenguela. This is my father, King Siegfried, and my mother, Queen Rue.” His parents dipped their heads at his introduction as he continued. “I trust you had a safe journey here?”

“Yes, it was rather uneventful. My guard, Alfonso, is quite capable.” She indicated the young man standing at her elbow. He looked to be in his teens, but Bertrem could tell by the way he carried himself that he certainly knew his way around a sword. 

“That’s good to hear. It is certainly reassuring to have reliable attendants.” Bertrem held out his arm to her. “May I escort you to your seat, Princess Berenguela?”

She took his arm and said, “Certainly.” He hardly noticed her attendants following behind, as his attention almost immediately focused on their destination. He was nervous about having left Tanya alone for so long by herself, but as they drew closer, he heard her tinkling laughter. The sound settled his nerves, and he relaxed his body a bit. 

Tanya’s eyes turned towards him, and saw the princess. Her eyes widened and she stood up, greeting him. “Prince Bertrem, welcome.” 

Taking his cue, Bertrem addressed the assembled noble children. “Everyone, I would like to introduce this lady. This is Princess Berenguela of Castile. She has come as a visitor today, so I would ask that you all treat her well as our special guest.”

Tanya swept into a surprisingly passable curtsey. “Your Highness, I am Tanya. I am honored to meet you.”

The princess regarded her with slightly pursed lips, and Bertram bristled at the slight against his friend who had not introduced herself as part of a noble house. After a moment, she nodded slightly. “Thank you, Lady Tanya.” She flicked her eyes around to the others, who all hastily stood and introduced themselves enthusiastically. Only Elsebeth gave her usual cool greeting, and Bertrem was fairly certain he detected a flicker of annoyance in her eyes. Surprisingly, when it came to Lorenz, he didn’t fall all over himself to pander to the comely princess. Instead, he simply gave his introduction, although he did take her hand and kiss the back of it as he bowed. After that, however, he reclaimed his seat next to Elsebeth without another glance.

When the introductions had been made, Bertrem guided his guest to the empty seat next to his and pulled it out for her. Her attendants took up their places behind her as Bertrem seated himself in the last empty space, between the princess and Tanya. Tanya smiled at him as he sat down, and then turned her attention to the princess. “Your Highness, did you have a safe journey here?”

She glanced at the younger girl with a scrutinizing glare before answering. “Yes, it was uneventful.”

Tanya smiled. “Oh, good, I’m glad! I know it’s several days’ journey from Castile. It must have been tiring for you and your attendants.” She smiled at the lady-in-waiting, who looked surprised to be referenced in the conversation and quickly cast her eyes downward.

The princess nodded briefly and flicked her gaze away from Tanya, turning to Ottilie who was seated on her other side and striking up a conversation. 

Bertrem watched as Tanya’s shoulders slumped a little at being swept aside so swiftly. He reached under the table and found her hand, catching it up in his. She looked at him in surprise, and he gave her a soft smile. She returned it with a grateful look that felt like it went straight through his heart. He drew in a deep breath and tried to focus on the food that was being served instead of his sudden ire at this Castilian princess who thought so little of his friend. 

Throughout the rest of the party, Tanya kept up a lively stream of conversation with Elsebeth and Lorenz, and tried every so often to pull Princess Berenguela into the circle with Bertrem. Each time, the princess gave the bare minimum response required of her before either returning to her discussion with Ottlie, or blatantly singling out Bertrem. By the end of the afternoon, he was seething with repressed anger at this haughty princess, but he managed to keep his expression bland. When the nobles had left, Bertrem assigned one of his attendants to show the princess and her party to rooms for the evening, as they would be leaving the following morning. He wanted to be rid of her as soon as possible, since he already knew he would be expected to entertain her at dinner and likely breakfast as well. He managed to repress a sigh as she was led away, leaving him along with Tanya.

She smiled at him. “Well, did you have a nice birthday, Rem?”

He looked over at her, drinking in her features, although her hair was swept up in the cultured styles she wore for such events, rather than loose or gathered in a wild ponytail, the way he liked it. He felt himself calm down as he looked at her, and summoned up a genuine smile. “Well, I suppose it was fun. You were here, after all.”

She beamed at him as their parents walked over. “Bertrem, how did it go with the princess?” his father asked.

“It went well. She got along well with Lady Ottilie at the very least, and everyone conducted themselves well as far as I saw.”

“That’s good. Did you get on well with her?”

Bertrem regarded his father carefully as he answered. “Well enough, I suppose.”

The king smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Sorry to put pressure on you on your birthday, but you understand that we can’t afford to offend Castile.”

“Yes, Father.”

Tanya’s father cut in. “Well, now that we are finished with this party, I think Tanya and I should be heading back home.”

Bertrem’s mother giggled. “You mean you’re worried about Ahiru and want to check on her, Fakir.”

He glared at her and said nothing, but reached his hand out for his daughter.

Tanya turned to Bertrem and gave him a quick hug, whispering in his ear, “Have a great rest of your birthday, Rem!” Then she stepped back and took her father’s hand, and the two of them faded out with that same soft golden glow.

When they had vanished, Bertrem couldn’t help letting out a small sigh. With Tanya gone, there wasn’t much left to look forward to for his birthday. Just that stuck-up princess. But this was just one more duty as a prince, and he had to see it through, whether he liked it or not. Tanya had performed her duties beautifully today, so it was only fair that he did the same. Keeping the thought of his friend in his head, he squared his shoulders. He would do his best as a prince of this kingdom.


	11. Chapter 11

The day after Bertrem’s birthday party was a dreary, rainy affair. It was a day off from her lessons, as her father had work to do, and her mother had declared it a baking day. Tanya had helped prepare some of the bread dough, and then had been promptly chased out of the kitchen. Tanya wandered into her room and flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Normally she would be out in the woods practicing with her sword, but it was raining much too hard for that today. It was a real shame, because she would have loved a way to get out her pent-up emotions right now. The princess at Bertrem’s party had been cold and distant towards her despite her best efforts. Normally Tanya wouldn’t spend much time worrying over someone who didn’t want to be her friend, as she loved spending time with her group of friends, but her lessons with Rue had impressed upon her the importance of giving proper deference to royalty. Besides, she knew from the history portions of her lessons that Bertrem’s kingdom owed Castile a great debt that could not easily be repaid.

She pouted at the ceiling, and decided to ask Queen Rue about it at her next lesson. There had to be other things she could do the next time she saw the princess to get her to be friendly. For the sake of Bertrem and his country, she had to try.

Right now, though, there was nothing she could do, and she disliked being alone with such thoughts. She sat up, and decided that she would play inside. Maybe she could pretend to be a ninja, and see how long she could go without her parents seeing her. This idea cheered her up, and she started to get excited about her game. She rolled off her bed and went over to the door of her room, peeking out into the hallway. 

Seeing that it was empty, she cracked her door open a little more, allowing her to slip out into the hall. Sticking to the edges of the floor and avoiding the creaky places, she tiptoed along until she reached the kitchen. Dropping to her knees, she peeked around the doorframe.

Her mom was standing at the counter, humming to herself as she mixed something in a bowl. Tanya watched as she reached for the chocolate chips in a cupboard, standing on the point of one foot with the other leg extended elegantly behind her. Tanya watched in fascination as her mom placed the chocolate chips on the counter and put her other foot on the floor so that both feet were facing outward from her body. Spreading her arms out, she lifted one foot up so that it was level with her knee, with her leg bent in, and spun around in place, ending with her arms extended out and her leg arranged gracefully behind her. When she had finished, she giggled and went back to her baking, muttering to herself, “Ah, sometimes I do miss dancing!”

Every once in a while, Tanya caught her mom dancing like this, and she loved the rare moments when they happened. She had asked about it once, and her mom had told her that she had met her dad when the two of them attended the ballet program at Gold Crown Academy. Tanya had never seen her dad dancing, but she always watched him, just in case she could catch him, too. She clenched her fist, determined. Maybe today was her day, since she was being a sneaky ninja! She slid away from the kitchen and back into the hallway, and made her way to her dad’s study.

She had always been told to leave this room alone, particularly when her dad was working, but she figured that probably didn’t apply to super sneaky ninjas that nobody would be able to see anyway. When she reached the door, she saw that it was already cracked open, so she softly nudged it a little, ducking down and peeking inside. 

Her dad sat at his desk with his back to the door, hunched over and writing furiously. Tanya pushed the door open just enough to allow her body to pass through, and slipped in along the wall, keeping her body bent over. She headed for the closet on one side of the room, trying her best to go slowly so that the floor would be quiet underneath her careful feet. She finally reached the closet door and slipped inside, closing the door with only a sliver left ajar.

She sat in the dark for a few minutes until her eyes adjusted to the thin light in the closet. When she could see a little better, she looked around her. The closet was fairly empty other than several boxes of papers that appeared to be organized in some way. She stood up to see how far the boxes went, and her eye was caught by a glint of light bouncing off of something in the corner. She paused. What could possibly be shiny in the closet? At any rate, this sounded like something that a ninja should be investigating. Moving carefully between the boxes, Tanya worked her way into the corner until her hand met the cold touch of steel.

Fascinated, she moved a stack of boxes out of the way as much as she could to reveal a sword in a leather sheath. It stood on its point and reached as tall as her chest. She stared at it, feeling some kind of strange kinship with the sword. She reached her hand out to touch the straight metal crossguard.

As she did, however, the door to the closet was flung open behind her. She whipped around, blinking in the sudden light, and saw her dad. Instinctively, she moved her body to hide the sword, inching forward in the hopes that it would naturally be covered by the stacks of boxes.

Her dad gave her a suspicious look. “Tanya, what are you doing in here?”

She nearly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t seem to notice that she had found the sword. For some reason, she felt a need to protect it and the strange kinship she felt with it. “I was playing ninja. I wanted to see if I could watch you without you noticing me.”

She thought that she saw his mouth twitch, but a moment later his entire face was stern. “Haven’t I told you not to disturb me when I’m working? It can be very delicate work, and it wouldn’t do if I messed something up if I was startled. These are people’s lives I’m dealing with.”

Tanya nodded, not really listening to what she recognized as the beginning of a speech she could almost recite by heart. 

Her dad stepped back, holding the door open. “Anyway, come on out of there so we can talk properly.”

Slumping her shoulders, she obeyed. It took all her willpower to not sneak a glance back at the sword as she left to receive her inevitable lecture about the importance of leaving her dad to work in peace.

After that, however, Tanya often stole back into the closet of the workroom. At first she simply looked at the sword, but as she grew stronger and more confident in her sword skills, she began to sneak it out of the house and into the woods for practice sessions. At the start it was too heavy for her to lift, but eventually she grew accustomed to its weight and length, working hard to be able to wield it. For it continued to call to her every time she used it, with that inexplicable feeling of camaraderie. She told Bertrem about the sword, and he seemed intrigued, but didn’t have an answer for this feeling any more than she did.

And, in this way, three more years passed.


	12. Chapter 12

Bertrem stared at his father impassively, not wanting to respond to the order he had just issued.

His father sighed, apparently recognizing his blank expression for what it was. “Bertrem, I know that you don’t like the idea, but I wouldn’t ask this of you if it wasn’t necessary.”

“I fail to see how it’s necessary for me to spend six months in Castile. Princess Berenguela was just here for my birthday party, and that seemed to go well enough. What further need do we have of establishing relations with Castile?”

“Your birthday was nearly six months ago. And, besides, this is a tradition that has dated back in our kingdoms for centuries. I went to Castile to study when I was your age.”

“Ah, then you already have a good relationship with them, so there is no need for me to go.”

His father’s eyes flickered with a hint of steel, and Bertrem inadvertently flinched. His father didn’t often have that look, but when he did, it was difficult to win against him. The king spoke slowly, “Bertrem, I would have hoped that by now you would understand the necessity of this from your history lessons. This goes beyond just the tradition. When our kingdom was beset by the raven, and most of our nobles and many of the citizens were killed in its defence, Castile sent reinforcements. It is no exaggeration to say we would not have survived as a country without them, despite the best efforts of our noble knights.” His face flickered, and Bertrem knew his father was remembering things that he’d rather not. Then his gaze focused once again on his son, and the hard look was back. “Have you not noticed how few noble children there are of your age in this country, and indeed how few nobles in general? If it were not for Castile, there would be many less. So I do not think it is too much to ask of the next ruler of this country that he spend a few months in that country learning its customs.”

Bertrem tried to meet his father’s gaze, but had to break his eyes away. Sullenly, he nodded.

His father’s voice was more gentle as he spoke again. “Bertrem, I know this will be difficult for you to be gone for so long. But six months will really not feel all that long, once you get there and start settling in. They’ll likely keep you so busy with official events and balls that you’ll be coming home before you know it. And besides, you can use the opportunity to get to know Princess Berenguela better.”

At that last statement, his eyes flicked back to his father’s, and this time he didn’t back down. He knew what was being hinted at with that statement. This was a conversation they had been having more and more often recently, as Bertrem was now in his teens and still not betrothed. He had resisted his parents’ vague offers at a union with one of the noble girls, but ever since his tenth birthday when he had met the Castilian princess, his father in particular had been hinting at a possible betrothal with her. Although Bertrem was by now rather keenly aware of his duties as the crown prince, he still couldn’t help but balk at the idea. They had met a few times after that initial introduction, and each time he had found that his distaste for her grew stronger. She was rather haughty and proud, and always seemed to go out of her way to snub Tanya for her lack of pedigree. Bertrem simply couldn’t imagine being married to her, although he didn’t dare to voice his full disapproval to his father. 

The king cracked a small smile as he was met with Bertrem’s glare. “Well, it was just a suggestion. I know you aren’t overly fond of her, but perhaps you’ll like her better if you spend more time with her and get to know her a little better.”

Bertrem sincerely doubted this statement, but kept his opinions to himself. Instead he asked, “When will I leave?”

“In a week. That should give you time to select an attendant and a guard or two to take with you, and make arrangements for what to bring. I’m sure your mother will make sure you have more than you need, anyway.”

Bertrem smiled a little at that. His father was right, his mother would certainly make sure that he would be fully equipped to present himself as the crown prince of this kingdom. He finally conceded, “I understand, Father. Is there anything else?”

“No, not at this moment. You’re free to go.”

Bertrem stood up and bowed, turning to exit his father’s study. He had opened the door when he heard his father call, “Oh, and say hello to Tanya for me, since I can’t go meet them today.”

Ignoring the knowing smile in the king’s voice, Bertrem continued on his way to the castle’s courtyard to wait. He wandered into the little garden that had been built for his use when he was a small child. The gate and hedges that had once seemed so imposing now barely reached his shoulders. He swung the gate shut and went to sit on the edge of the fountain, a favorite place for him when he wanted to think. He stared down into the water and tried to calm the unrest inside his chest. He deeply disliked the idea of being forced to leave for Castile for six months. It seemed like such an insurmountably long time to be without his family, although he was certain he would be able to cope with that, especially since they were sure to send him letters. But what he wasn’t sure he could go so long without was…

A cheerful voice called his name. “Rem! I’m here!”

He turned his head and saw Tanya coming into the gate, waving her hand at him vigorously. She had certainly grown, although her body was still much smaller than his, and very lanky. She had developed an impressive amount of muscle through their training with the sword, but she had such a small frame that unless you knew the muscles were there, you would never have seen them through her clothing. She smiled at him as she drew nearer, and he felt the ache in his chest grow. This was what he would miss most of all; his time with Tanya. And there was no way he would be able to convince her father to bring her to Castile instead of his castle. Fakir barely tolerated bringing her here, although in all the years they had been friends there hadn’t been a single incident since that first day when she had turned into a duck. 

Not that Bertrem would want her father to bring her to the castle at Castile. Nobody outside of his family and a few trusted attendants knew anything about Tanya’s family coming from a different world. There was no way he would be able to arrange for strangers to apparate in the middle of a foreign castle. And beyond that, he wasn’t sure that he would want to put his friend at risk like that. Although he hadn’t seen her as a duck in nearly ten years, he had never forgotten how frightened he had been when she had suddenly transformed. When they were together, he was constantly aware of this possibility in the back of his mind, and was careful to make sure that she never exerted herself too much, or exhibited signs of illness. He had made it his personal mission to study medicine on top of his regular subjects for just this purpose, so he would be able to recognize if she was getting ill. There was certainly not any way that he would put her in an unknown situation in an unknown country simply because he would miss her.

She seemed to pick up on his musings as she walked up to him. Taking his face in her hands, she tilted his head up so she could inspect him closely. “Rem, are you feeling all right?” she asked, concern in her voice. She leaned forward and placed their foreheads together, and Bertrem felt his heart skip at the action. Drawing back, she declared, “You don’t have a fever, at least. What’s wrong?” Her emerald-green eyes blinked at him in concern.

His chest constricted even tighter. He reached up a hand and covered one of hers with it. “Tanya, I have to tell you something.”

“Well, what is it? Rem, you’re scaring me.”

“I’m fine, Tan. It’s just something my father told me today.” He looked at her full on as he delivered his news. “I have to go to Castile.”

She blinked. “Oh, is that all? Well, I’m sure it will be a lovely trip!”

He shook his head. “No, Tanya. Not just for a trip. I have to go stay for a while. It’s a tradition between our kingdoms.”

Her face was beginning to pale. “For how long?”

“Six months.”

“Six...oh.” Tanya dropped her hands from his face, and he allowed them to fall away. She stared at the ground for a moment before looking up at him with obvious effort. “Well, that won’t be too bad! I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun in Castile. I hear that they have a lot of dances and festivals, so it should be really interesting! You’ll probably have so much fun that it will be over before you’re ready to come home! Oh, and you’ll get to see Princess Bereguela, right? She always wants to seem to get to know you better, so that will be nice for you two to talk more.” As she said this, her face pulled into a strange expression, and she stopped talking all of a sudden, as if her words had dried up.

Bertrem reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a small squeeze. “I know I have to do this as the crown prince, but I really don’t want to. I’d much rather stay here and keep seeing you.” He looked up at her, and was startled to feel his face flushing a little. To distract from that, he added quickly, “Besides, how do I know that you’ll keep practicing your swordsmanship? With me gone, who will you have to spar with?”

That drew a smile out of her. She replied, with a bit of forced cheerfulness, “Don’t you worry about that, Rem! You just make sure that your skills don’t get rusty while you’re gone. As soon as you get back, I’m going to demand a duel with you! We’ll see who’s been lazy and who’s been working!” She grinned at him, and if he hadn’t known her better, he would have missed the quaver of her lip.

He stood up from his seat on the fountain and stepped forward, wrapping her in a hug. He had grown as well, and now stood several inches taller than her. He had to tilt his head down to murmur in her ear, “Don’t worry, Tanya. I’ll practice lots so I can take you up on that when I return.”

They stood like that for a few minutes, neither of them acknowledging the sadness in their hug. Finally Tanya whispered, “When do you leave?”

“Next week.”

Drawing in a breath, Tanya pulled back from him, and her usual grin was back. “Well then, we’d better enjoy our visit today as much as possible! Come on!” She held out her hand expectantly.

Unhesitatingly, he placed his hand in her grip, and allowed himself to be pulled away. He tried his best to memorize each callous and dip of the hand so that he wouldn’t forget it while he was away. He knew for certain that he would miss Tanya the most, much more than his other friends. But then again, she had always been special, in some undefinable way that Elsebeth and Lorenz simply weren’t. Maybe while he was in Castile he could use the time to figure out what the difference was, but for today he simply wanted to enjoy his friend.


	13. Chapter 13

Tanya was practically bouncing in place as she waited. “Come on, Dad, hurry up!” She knocked at the door to his room impatiently.

Her mother chuckled behind her. “Tanya, he already said that he was getting ready. Give him a few minutes, for goodness’ sake. He’ll be ready to take us soon.”

She stamped her foot impatiently. “But what if we’re late because Dad’s spending too long on his hair?”

Her mother snorted, but responded, “We won’t be late. Come on, let’s go in the kitchen and wait. It’s not fair to stand outside the room like this pressuring him to get ready.”

No sooner had she said this than the door was yanked open, and her father stood staring down at her with a frown. “There, Tanya, I’m ready now. I’m very sorry to have inconvenienced you for two minutes while I fussed over my hair.”

Her mother sidled around Tanya and smiled up at her husband. “Well, it looks very nice, dear.” His gaze softened as he looked at his wife. A wicked smile spread over her face as she reached a hand up to ruffle his hair. He yelped as she turned around, saying, “Shall we go?” Without looking back, she walked towards the kitchen, which was their usual departure spot. Her husband followed behind her, mumbling and patting down his har. Tanya giggled as she trailed after them.

They grouped together in the kitchen as they usually did, with Fakir holding them each by a hand. Tanya felt an electric rush. Finally, after six long months, she was going to see Rem again! A huge smile broke out over her face, and even her father’s usual speech reminding them to be careful didn’t penetrate through it. She waited eagerly as their world darkened and faded into Bertrem’s castle courtyard.

As soon as everything was fully solidified she dropped her father’s hand quickly and looked around. The king and queen were sitting at their usual table in the shade, and stood up when they saw the little party appear. With a squeal, Tanya’s mother ran over to the queen and enveloped her in a hug as her family followed at a slower pace. As they drew nearer, Tanya heard Queen Rue say, “...could have come just to visit us, Ahiru.”

Tanya’s mother shook her head. “It didn’t seem fair when Tanya wouldn’t be able to see her friend.”

They were standing in front of the table now, and Queen Rue directed her attention to Tanya. Dropping into a curtsey, she greeted the queen. “Your Majesty, it has been a while. I am glad to see you look well.”

Queen Rue smiled at her. “Very good, Tanya. You still remembered your manners although we have not met in six months. Still, we shall have some training to do rather quickly, since Bertrem’s fifteenth birthday is coming up in two weeks, and we have decided to combine it with a party to welcome him back. You’ll need to make sure you’ve practiced your manners.”

Tanya was having a hard time concentrating on her words, so she simply nodded and cast her eyes around the courtyard in case Bertrem was going to be joining them. 

The queen saw this and chuckled. “We can arrange a different time for that though, dear. Right now, Bertrem is waiting for you in his garden.”

A huge smile broke across Tanya’s face, and she nodded, dipped a barely passable curtsey, and ran in the direction of the little garden. She knew she would be scolded for that at her next lesson, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Not when Bertrem was so close to her after six long months.

She burst through the gate of the garden, letting it slam behind her. Bertrem was lying on his back on the edge of the fountain, one arm tucked beneath his head, with a leg trailing lazily onto the ground. He didn’t move as she approached him and leaned over his face. As she did, she saw that he was asleep. She stared down at him, torn between waking him so she could greet him and letting him sleep. He was obviously tired from his trip if he was sleeping here in the middle of the day. As she looked at him, weighing her choices, she noticed that his face seemed to have slimmed a little while he had been gone. He looked older, and more solemn than ever. Even as he slept, his brow creased, giving him an almost worried appearance. Unable to stop herself, she reached a finger out and pressed the crease between his eyebrows.

At her touch, his eyes fluttered and opened, and locked on hers. Instantly, the solemn look was gone as his face blossomed into a soft, genuine smile that took her breath away. But even more alluring was the way he breathed, “Tan,” and looped his free arm around her neck, pulling her onto his chest.

For some reason, having her face pressed into his chest made her heart race, but it also felt wonderful to be touching him after so long, so she didn’t protest. Instead, after a moment’s pause, she relaxed into him, and simply soaked up his presence. When she felt her eyes begin to prick with tears, she drew her body up suddenly and turned away from him, sniffling a little and desperately trying to wipe her eyes. 

“Tan? What’s wrong?Are you all right?” She turned to see him sitting up now, looking very much awake as he scrutinized her face. 

The sound of his voice, just a hint deeper than it had been before he left, made the tears well up and fall. She smiled at him as she cried, saying, “Yes, Rem. I’m just so happy to see you.”

Swiftly, Bertrem stood up and wrapped her in a hug. Now that they were both standing, she could see that he had grown even more. She now barely reached his shoulder, so when he held her, her face was buried fully in his chest. Tanya gave up on resisting this confusingly exhilarating feeling and simply allowed herself to be held as she cried with happiness. When she had finished, she sniffled and drew her head back, smiling up at her friend.

He returned the smile, and now she couldn’t see any trace at all of his newly acquired solemnity. “Tan, I missed you,” he said softly.

She attempted to lighten the mood. “Well, I should hope you didn’t miss me too much. You had a lot to do while you were there, right? Tell me about what happened. Did you go to a lot of balls? Did you get to go sightsee at all? Did you and Princess Berenguela get a chance to talk more?” As she asked the last question, her mouth dried up, and she felt an unpleasant sensation.

Bertrem distracted her with a chortle. “Hold on there, Tan. One question at a time. Come on, let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you all about it.” Obediently, she allowed herself to be led to the bench near the fountain, and they spent a pleasant afternoon chatting about all the things that had happened during the time they had been apart. When they left, Tanya was reluctant to part, and was left with the lingering feeling that there was still so much more she wanted to say to Bertrem. Her father was firm on the time limit for their visit, however. Despite her resistance to her condition extending to five days now between doses, her father was still adamant about this rule. And so they departed, with the promise that Tanya would return the next day.

When she arrived the next afternoon, however, and indeed on the other days she made a visit prior to the party, she hardly even glimpsed Bertrem. Instead, she was put through vigorous lessons with Queen Rue, who seemed determined to cram six months of missed study into a week. By the time Bertrem’s fifteenth birthday arrived, Tanya felt as if she had been worn thin, like a paper that’s been read too many times. But she managed to rally herself and appear with her parents in a new gown that the queen had prepared for her, ready to face the day since it would undoubtedly allow her to see not only Bertrem, but Elsebeth and Lorenz. 

As usual, her family arrived shortly before the other guests were due, in order to avoid any questions about them appearing suddenly in the middle of the castle. As Tanya located Bertrem, she felt her breath catch a little in her throat. She was suddenly struck by how handsome her friend looked. She lost herself for a moment staring at him, and failed to notice that his eyes had widened too as they met hers. 

Tanya caught herself and gave Bertrem a smile. “Hello, Rem. You look nice today!”

He responded simpy, “So do you.”

Her cheeks flushed a little at that comment, but she ignored them and held out the package that was in her hands. “Here, I have something for you. I hope you like it!”

He stepped a little closer to her and took it, brushing her hand inadvertently as he did so. She tried to ignore the shiver that went through her at his touch. He opened the box, revealing a small cake covered with roses made from frosting. He looked up at her with surprise written on his face. “Your baking skills have certainly improved, haven’t they?”

She grinned up at him. “Well, I’d hope so. There wasn’t much else to do while you were gone.”

A shadow passed over his face, but it was gone in a moment, replaced by his gentle smile. “Thank you, Tan. I’m sure I’ll enjoy eating this a lot. For now though, I have to wait here.”

Tanya nodded, used to this routine at parties by now. “Of course. I’ll go wait at the table.” Although they weren’t exactly considered children now, and indeed Bertrem would be having his coming-of-age ceremony next year, they were still seated away from the adults at their own table during parties. Tanya made her way over to it now, taking her usual seat and settling in to wait for the other attendees.

She didn’t have long to wait. Elsebeth’s family was the first to arrive, and it was all Tanya could do to remain in her seat as the other girl made her way over to the table with her usual slow, ladylike pace. She lost her battle as Elsebeth drew next to her, and jumped out of her seat to envelop her friend in a hug. “Elsebeth, I missed you!” she exclaimed.

Elsebeth patted her on the head gently and replied, “Yes, yes, Tanya, of course. I missed you as well.” Her voice sounded as composed as ever, but when she withdrew, Tanya saw that her eyes were shimmering. 

The two girls took their seats as Tanya said, “So, Elsebeth, you have to tell me what you’ve been up to for the past six months! Has anything exciting happened?”

Her blue eyes flicked around the garden as she snapped open her fan, using it to cover the lower half of her face. “Well...I suppose you could say so.” 

Tanya repressed her urge to bounce in her seat as she leaned forward. “Obviously something happened! Come on, Elsebeth, what is it? You have to tell me!”

“Well...I suppose he’ll tell you the second he arrives anyway. My betrothement has been decided upon.”

Tanya gasped. “Really? Who is it?”

Her friend’s eyes flickered with mirth for a second, although it didn’t show on the rest of her face. “Lorenz.”

Tanya felt her mouth gape open for a moment before she caught herself, arranging her face into what she hoped was a more bland expression. Much of her lessons with Queen Rue involved what expressions were appropriate for a lady in public, as this was a topic that Tanya struggled with. When she felt that she had herself under control, she leaned a little closer and whispered, “How do you feel about that?”

Elsebeth’s eyes flicked downward. “Well, I can’t say that I’m displeased with the arrangement.”

“Elsebeth, can it be...do you love him?”

“Who knows? Perhaps I do. I certainly have always had a certain fondness for him.” 

Tanya stared as small spots of color graced her friend’s cheeks. She had never seen Elsebeth display such a wide range of emotions in such a short time. She smiled. “It seems to me that you like him quite a bit, based on your reactions. In that case, then, I’m happy for you. Congratulations!” She reached out and placed her hand on top of Elsebeth’s on the table.

“Hmm. I suppose so. It just all feels so sudden. The request came from House Lüneburg last month.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? It means that he’s interested in you too.”

“I’m not so certain about that. It could just be his parents’ will.”

Elsebeth looked as if she was about to say something else when a cheerful voice called, “Oh my, is that the Lady Tanya I see sitting with my lovely fiancée?”

Instantly, Elsebeth sat up even straighter, if that was possible. Tanya looked and saw Lorenz coming towards them. He stopped in front of his fiancée and took her hand in his, placing a kiss on it before sitting next to her. After he had finished this, he grinned at Tanya. “It’s been a while, Tanya.”

She glanced sideways at Elsebeth, who had now flicked her fan shut and was starting at Lorenz with pursed lips. “Ah...yes, it’s been a while. It’s certainly nice to see you again.”

Lorenz waved his hand in the air impatiently. “I see from the look on your face that my lovely fiancée has given you the news?” He smiled at Elsebeth, but she just stared back at him impassively. This didn’t seem to bother him, and he turned his attention back to Tanya.

“Yes, she did. I suppose congratulations are in order?”

Elsebeth cut in. “That’s not really necessary. It isn’t as if we’ll be getting married any time soon.”

The smile on Lorenz’s face flickered at this, but he wasn’t given a chance to respond as Ottilie and Ulrich made their appearance. Tanya gave her friends a last worried glance before turning her attention to the newcomers.

Soon all of the noble children of their age were gathered, with only Bertrem missing, although there were two empty seats remaining at the table. Tanya was starting to form a suspicion about this when the last guest arrived, and it became clear who the extra seat was for. 

As soon as she entered the garden, Princess Berenguela drew attention. She wore a dress of deep scarlet that accentuated the rich chocolate color of her hair. Today she was accompanied only by her guard, the tall young man named Alfonso who usually was assigned to her. Berenguela walked directly over to Bertrem, dropping into a small curtsey before reaching out and taking one of his hands with both of hers. Tanya’s jaw clenched unconsciously as she watched this scene, and she wondered why the princess was standing so close to Bertrem. He offered his arm, and the two of them walked over to the table. As they drew near, everyone rose and offered greetings as Bertrem guided Princess Berenguela to one of the empty seats. As she sat down, her eyes met Tanya’s, and an unpleasant gleam flashed in them.

Despite this, Tanya plastered a smile on her face. “Hello, Your Highness. I trust your journey was uneventful?”

“Yes, it was quite satisfactory. And certainly worth it, as I am able to see Prince Bertrem again. The castle has seemed rather empty since he left.”

As Bertrem sat down, he said, “Princess Berenguela, I have hardly been gone for two weeks.”

“Yes, but after spending six delightful months in your company, it seems like it’s been much longer than that.” 

Her smile as she spoke made Tanya’s skin crawl, and she clenched her fists underneath the table. A motion in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned her head slightly to see that her action was being mimicked by Princess Berenguela’s guard. He was staring steadfastly ahead with his mouth in a thin line. The expression surprised her. She couldn’t remember Alfonso ever showing any emotions during any of the trips he had accompanied the princess on. She stared at him for a moment before returning her attention to the party. As she turned her head, she saw Bertrem looking at her, and smiled. His eyes bored into hers for a moment, then he went back to his guests. 

The rest of the party felt like it dragged on for Tanya. Normally when Princess Berenguela attended such events, Bertrem bore most of the responsibility of keeping her entertained, so Tanya would talk to him between lulls of conversation, and then chat with Elsebeth and Lorenz. Now, though, the atmosphere between her two friends was so strained that she was hard-pressed to hold a conversation with them. And even talking to Bertrem was proving difficult. Every time she turned to him and opened her mouth to speak, Princess Bereguela would rush to fill the silence with some question or comment that demanded his attention instead. At first Tanya was inclined to think it was accidental, but about halfway through the party she caught the princess’s eye, and the pure malice held there shocked her. Tanya gave up on speaking to her friend, and instead turned her full attention to repairing the strain between Elsebeth and Lorenz.

By the time the party was over and all the noble children had left, Tanya thought that she had never been so glad for an event to end. She relaxed into her seat slightly, letting out a small sigh. All that was left was for Bertrem to send off the princess to her quarters for the evening as he usually did, and then she could finally have some time alone with her friend.

Princess Berenguela seemed to have different ideas today, however. She gave Bertrem a glance from underneath her eyelashes and said, “Prince Bertrem, would it be possible for you to accompany me for a little longer? I would so love to see the rose garden. I hear it is lovely at this time of year.”

Bertrem hesitated visibly, and turned to Tanya. She stood up quickly and curtsied. “I should go find my parents, Prince Bertrem. I wish you a wonderful birthday. And Princess Berenguela, I hope your stay is pleasant as always.”

The princess smiled coldly. “I’m sure it will be, with Bertrem to guide me.”

Bertrem turned to her. “Berenguela, that’s enough. Come, I’ll walk you through the garden.”

The words were like a slap across her face. She hadn’t realized that Bertrem and the princess had grown close enough to address each other without titles. Almost mechanically, she turned around and began to walk towards her parents. She couldn’t identify the reason for any of it, but the entire situation with Princess Berenguela today had made her feel as if she was being stabbed through the heart with a sword, and all she wanted was for her father to take her home so she could escape these feelings.


	14. Chapter 14

Over the next year Tanya continued to visit Bertrem as usual, but there was a new tension in their relationship that hadn’t been present before. They still spent plenty of time together and sparred regularly, but there were times when she seemed to be hiding something from him.

Bertrem had other worries as his coming-of-age ceremony drew nearer, however. His father kept pressuring him on the matter of his engagement, and the hints about needing to choose a queen grew more and more direct. 

The week before the ceremony, he was sitting in the courtyard with Tanya, Elsebeth, and Lorenz, having tea. This arrangement felt even more strained than when it was just him and Tanya alone. Ever since Elsebeth and Lorenz had been engaged, it seemed that their relationship had become even more strained than ever. Bertrem had resigned himself to an uncomfortable afternoon, but Tanya seemed determined to smooth over the tension. She kept up a steady stream of chatter, apparently oblivious to the atmosphere between Elsebeth and Lorenz. Bertrem was trying his best to ignore the conversation in an attempt to lower his stress levels, but he was forcefully drawn in when Tanya called his name and looked at him with her innocently shining emerald eyes.

He looked at her, resigning himself to rejoining the conversation. “Yes, Tan?”

“Well, I was thinking, Rem...since it’s your coming-of-age ceremony next week, there’s a big festival in town for that, right?”

“Yes, I suppose there is.” 

Pushing on through his indifferent answer, Tanya said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we all went together?”

He blinked at her, but was saved from having to answer by Lorenz. “Oh, that does sound fun! How about it, my lovely fiancée?” He looked eagerly at Elsebeth.

With a toss of her blond hair, she snapped her fan open to cover her mouth. “I suppose it might be entertaining. I’ve never been to a festival before.”

Bertrem couldn’t help breaking in at this point. “But, Tan, how will you convince your father to let you go? He hardly ever lets you out of his sight when you’re here.”

Tanya waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, leave that part to me. You just arrange a guard for us. Elsebeth, Lorenz, do you think you could meet us in town? I’m supposed to come for a lesson with Queen Rue in three days, so we can meet at the town square after that. I should be able to get there around noon. Does that work for you?”

Elsebeth nodded, and glanced at her fiancé. He said enthusiastically, “I think it sounds fun! I’ll collect my dear fiancée and meet you there.”

Tanya smiled triumphantly. “It sounds like a plan then!”

Just then, her father’s voice called for her. She stood up reluctantly. “It sounds like it’s time for me to go. Elsebeth, can you see me off?” Bertrem felt a pang as she reached a hand out for the other girl, not even glancing his way. The two walked off, heads bowed together.

Bertrem found it hard to pass the next three days. His parting with Tanya ground on his nerves. She always said goodbye to him last, and had never before left for her own world without making it a point to speak to him at the very least, and more often than not give him a hug. He felt restless until the appointed day came and she appeared in the courtyard. Even then, she barely gave him a wave before she was snatched away by his mother. Bertrem glared at the queen as she took his friend away, and waited sullenly until they were finished with their lesson and Tanya came bounding across the grass towards him. He stood up impatiently, waiting until she was standing before him to finally crack a smile.

Leaning close to him, she whispered, “Are we all ready to go?”

He nodded. “Let’s go to the garden. I have a guard waiting there, and he’ll escort us to town.” He hesitated for a moment, then grabbed her hand and led her away. He walked swiftly, not wanting her to see the color on his cheeks. 

Their getaway went much more smoothly than he had anticipated. He supposed that there weren’t many people who would question the crown prince, particularly when he was accompanied by a lady and a guard. As they left the castle behind, he felt a little rush of exhilaration, and Tanya giggled at his side. He had kept his grip on her hand, and now he squeezed it, and the two shared a smile. 

As they drew close to the town, Tanya tugged on his hand, and he looked at her expectantly. “Rem, we have to figure out a way to slip away from Elsebeth and Lorenz.”

He raised his eyebrows, but all he said was, “Oh?”

She leaned towards him and whispered conspiratorially, “You see, Elsebeth and I arranged this for today. Ever since they got engaged, she’s been unsure of his feelings for her, and this seemed like a good opportunity for them to talk in private. Besides, festivals create all sorts of good feelings!”

He looked down at his petite friend. “You mean that Elsebeth loves Lorenz?” 

She nodded, and her orange hair bobbed up and down. He loved watching her wild hair, and nearly lost track of her next words as he got caught up in staring at it. “Yes, she’s been in love with him for some time, but she can’t figure out how he feels. He’s been acting so strange since they were betrothed, after all.”

He considered this. “But didn’t the engagement request come from his house?”

“She says that doesn’t mean anything. She’s half convinced that his parents forced him into it.”

“Ah, I see. That explains why you were so set on this festival today.”

“That’s not really why, though.” Her eyes shimmered up at him. “I was worried about you.”

He looked at her in surprise. “Me?”

“Yes. You’ve been under a lot of pressure with your ceremony coming up, haven’t you? You’ve seemed worn-out lately, so I thought that it would do you good to relax a little bit. And then I thought that Elsebeth could use this opportunity, too.” She smiled at him innocently.

Bertrem stared at her for a moment, surprised that she had seen through him so easily. He reached out and ruffled her hair affectionately. “Thanks, Tan.” He smiled, using it to cover up his sudden unease. If she had noticed that much, what else had she picked up on?

He didn’t have any time to contemplate this, however, as they had entered the town and were drawing close to the center. Tanya pointed suddenly, and cried, “Look, Rem, there they are!” Raising her arm over her head, she waved broadly, bouncing up and down a little in an attempt to give herself extra height. Chuckling, Bertrem put his hands around her waist and lifted her up. She squealed, and clutched onto his arms. 

He laughed. “Go on, Tan, wave to them now.”

She pouted at him. “Rem, I’m not that short! I don’t need you to hold me up like a child!”

A voice called out to them. “Prince Bertrem, Tanya, you’re here!” He looked and saw Lorenz waving at them. Feeling a little disappointed that his fun was over, Bertrem set his friend down and followed her as she rushed over to the others. By the time he reached the group, she was already clasping Elsebeth’s hands and exclaiming, “Where should we go first?”

Bertrem finally looked around them and really noticed their surroundings. The entire square was decorated with an abundance of flowers and vibrantly colored cloth banners. Stalls lined the streets on all sides, and people milled everywhere, wearing bright clothing and brighter smiles. A small group of musicians was even setting up on top of a small stage. Tanya bounced in place as she gazed around and gushed, “It all looks so fun!”

Elsebeth showed a rare smile of affection as she patted Tanya’s hand. “Well, I’m fine with wherever you want to go, Tanya.”

Lorenz chimed in, “I’m fine with going wherever my lovely fiancée wants to go.”

Elsebeth flicked her eyes toward him dismissively. Bertrem watched the whole exchange, feeling a little mystified. Anyone would think that Lorenz was the one who had reason to worry about unrequited love, not Elsebeth. He wasn’t sure if he would have ever guessed Elsebeth’s feelings if Tanya hadn't told him.

He was torn out of his musings by Tanya’s hand tugging on his. He looked down into her excited face. “Come on, Rem, let’s go get something to eat!”

He allowed himself to be pulled along with Elsebeth and Lorenz trailing behind them as Tanya bounced from stall to stall, exclaiming over all the trinkets, and taking samples of every treat she could. After a while, the musicians began playing a lively tune, and Tanya clutched onto Bertrem’s arm, looking at her friends with sparkling eyes. “Ooh, they’re playing! Come on, everyone, let’s go dance!” Not waiting for a response, she dragged Bertrem into an open area of the town square. Elsebeth and Lorenz followed behind them, but Bertrem hardly noticed this as Tanya lined up next to him, their hands still clasped. She looked over at him and grinned, then broke into a lively gigue. Startled, he hurried to catch up with her as she danced around the square, breaking apart and coming back together with him, laughing merrily the whole time. Soon, a crowd began to gather, and other couples began dancing too. It wasn’t long before Bertrem lost sight of Elsebeth and Lorenz, but he found that he hardly cared. He was thoroughly enjoying his dance with Tanya, and felt almost remorseful as the song ended, and everyone bowed to their partners and broke into applause. Breathing heavily, Tanya laughed up at him, and he felt himself smiling back. 

As the music started up again, she tugged on his hand. “Come on, Rem, I think we can get away without them seeing now.”

Suddenly Bertrem remembered his friend’s mission, and nodded as he allowed himself to be led away. He certainly wasn’t going to complain about getting to have some time alone with Tanya. At this point, he had even lost sight of their guard. He wasn’t concerned, though. He knew that both he and Tanya were capable of defending themselves if anything should happen.

She pulled him away from the crowd and down an alley. She stopped walking suddenly and slumped against a wall, her breathing ragged. Alarmed, Bertrem leaned over her. “Tan, are you all right? What’s wrong?”

She smiled at him weakly. “Oh, it’s nothing much. The dancing just tired me out. And I haven’t really been sleeping well for the past few nights. In fact, I’m not sure if I slept at all...last night…” Her voice trailed off into panting. 

He leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers. “You’re burning up!” he exclaimed, drawing back to try to assess her condition. 

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll be....” She stopped talking as her body began to glow a soft gold. Horrified, Bertrem realized he recognized this glow from the day he had first met Tanya. He shifted his body to block the alley’s entrance, hiding his friend as she collapsed into a puddle of her clothing. Dropping to his knees, he dug his hands frantically through the fabric until he found a small duck lying on her side, panting. Gingerly, he picked her up and cradled her to his chest. As an afterthought, he grabbed her clothes into a bundle in his other arm and stood up. There was no time to find the guard or his friends. He had to get Tanya back to the castle. Her father was the only one who could help her now. 

He began to run, and the little duck made a whimpering noise in his arms. He ducked his head down and whispered to her, “It’s all right, Tan. I’m taking you to your father. He’ll get you all better. Just hold on for a little while.” He felt a black anger inside his chest at his own helplessness as he ran, faster than he had ever thought he could, back to the castle. He burst through a side gate, ignoring the surprised looks of the guards as he barreled his way to the courtyard. When he saw Fakir talking to his father, he felt an almost palpable relief. He yelled, “Fakir! I need help!”

His head whipped up at Bertrem’s words, and as he saw the little bundle in Bertrem’s arms, his eyes widened. He ran towards them and barked, “Where were you? What happened?”

As he handed over the duck, Bertrem found that he was breathing hard. He managed to gasp out, “We went to the festival. She has a fever and collapsed. She said she hadn’t slept for a while, and we were dancing, and then she just…”

Fakir shoved him off to the side as he laid Tanya down on the ground and yanked the little leather pouch at his waist open. Pulling out a pill, he placed it in her mouth. For a sickening moment, nothing happened. Then the soft golden glow came from her, and she turned back into a girl. Bertrem was so relieved that he didn’t even notice that she was naked. He took a step closer. “Is she all right? Does she still have a fever?”

Fakir snapped, “And what makes you qualified to worry about her? You took her off somewhere alone, and allowed this to happen to her!” He gathered her body up in his arms and glared at Bertrem. Without another word, he closed his eyes, and the two of them faded from the world, leaving Bertrem alone with his guilt.


	15. Chapter 15

Tanya cracked her eyes open with a colossal effort. She opened her mouth, but it felt like it was filled with dried-up leaves. 

A voice said, “Tanya? Are you awake?”

She turned her head and saw her mother’s face, lined with worry. She swallowed with much effort and tried again. “M...Mom? What happened?”

Her mother placed a hand on her forehead. “Shh, it’s all right, Tanya. Here, have some water.” 

She reached off to her side and produced a cup. Tanya took it shakily, drinking deeply as her mother propped up her head. When she had drained the cup, she flopped back down and looked at her mother. “What happened?”

“We aren’t really clear on that, actually. You disappeared after your lesson with Rue, and then suddenly Prince Bertrem appeared, holding you. He said that you had gone to the festival, and then you collapsed.”

Tanya gasped as the memory came back to her. “That’s right, I was feeling really worn out, and after dancing I just kind of...fell…” Bertrem’s worried face replayed in her mind. “I hope Rem wasn’t too worried. Is he all right?”

“You should be more worried about yourself right now.” Her father’s sharp voice came from the doorway, and both girls turned to him as he entered. Tanya had seen her father angry before, but this was something else. The force of his rage rolled off him like billows of dust, and she flinched a little. He drew nearer until he was standing next to her mother, leaning over the bed. “You collapsed again. What were you thinking, lying to us and running off by yourself to who knows where?”

“I wasn’t alone, I was with Rem.” Despite her father’s clear ire, she couldn’t help correcting him.

He glared at her. “Yes, and a lot of help he proved to be when you got sick!”

She bristled. “It wasn’t his fault! I just wasn’t taking care of myself enough! I knew that I was tired, but I kept pushing myself anyway. And I bet he was the one who brought me back when I...collapsed.”

“That isn’t the point. It was sheer dumb luck that he got you back all right. So many things could have happened, and nobody would have known where you were or where to go to help you. What if something had happened to Bertrem on the way back to the castle? He’s the crown prince, so he would be a pretty easy target. You both could have been killed and we wouldn’t have had any idea! And what if you had stayed a duck too long and couldn’t be turned back?”

Tanya was nearly bursting with annoyance. “Dad, that’s ridiculous! Why wouldn’t I be able to turn back?”

“We don’t know how your body would react if you stayed as a duck for too long.”

“It would be fine, Dad. All I need is a pill, and if you would let me keep some, I could take care of it myself.”

“How would you do that if you were a duck? Usually when you change, it’s because you’re sick. How are you supposed to give yourself medicine in that state?”

She huffed at him angrily. “Fine, then we could give some to Rem. Anyone could do it and it would be fine, but you’re too scared to let me out of your sight!”

Her father’s eyes flashed angrily. “No, not anyone! The pill only works because it’s my essence! It’s not like it’s fine if I entrust you to anyone!”

She stared at him. “Your...essence? What is that supposed to mean?”

Her mother reached out her hand and said warningly, “Fakir…”

But he ignored her. “My blood goes into those pills. It’s the only thing that changes you back!”

Tanya sat in stunned silence, staring at her father. His blood? What was that supposed to mean? He had been using his blood to change her back? Did that mean that all these years...all those pills…Her eyes widened as the sheer magnitude of what he was saying hit her. Just how much had he sacrificed for her over the years? Draining his own blood for her, just to keep her healthy?

Her mother broke the silence. “Fakir! What a thing to say to her!”

Her voice seemed to get through to him. His face drained of its anger, and his eyes widened. Hastily he said, “That’s not the point here. The point is that it’s obvious I can’t trust you with Bertrem. So you won’t be going to see him anymore.”

This focused Tanya’s attention. “What? What do you mean, Dad? You can’t do that!”

“I’m your father! If it’s something that will protect you, I can and I will! I’ve allowed a lot of things to slide with him over the years, but this is just too much. If he’s willing to put you in danger like that, knowing about your condition, then there’s no reason for you to associate with him anymore.”

“But...Dad, you can’t do that! He’s my best friend!”

“A real friend would be more concerned about your safety.”

Her anger flared up. “No, a real friend is concerned about what I want as well as my safety! Have you ever considered what I want? All you do is smother me and keep me locked away so I can’t make any other friends! And then when I do make one, you tell me I can’t see him anymore?”

“Tanya, this isn’t up for discussion. I won’t take you there again.”

Sudden tears threatened to overflow as she realized he was serious. “But...but Dad, I...how will he even know what happened? I never...I didn’t even see him, and haven’t had a chance to…” She refused to finish that sentence, dreading the finality of it.

Her mother laid a hand on her father’s arm. “Fakir,” she said in a soft voice, “would it hurt for her to see him one last time and say goodbye? He has his coming-of-age ceremony in two days, surely it would be fine if she attended that? We’ll both be with her. You can’t just cut all of them off without an explanation.”

Her father stared down at his wife, visibly wavering. Finally, he raked a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. “All right. I suppose your mother has a point. We can go back in two days to attend the ceremony. At that time, you will explain to Bertrem that you will no longer be visiting him. Do you understand?”

Tanya nodded wordlessly, trying fiercely to keep her tears from falling.

He nodded, and shifted awkwardly in place. “Well. As long as you understand.” Without another word, he turned and walked out of her room.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Tanya flung herself on her mother’s shoulder and burst into tears. As her mother patted her back, she managed to get out, “M-Mom, it’s not faiiir…I just...I just want to see Rem...c-can’t you talk to Dad?”

“Oh, sweetie, I wish I could. But he won’t listen to me. At least not right now. I did what I could to convince him to let you go to the ceremony. I might be able to talk him out of it some time down the road, but probably not any time soon. He’s just worried about you. He loves you so much, and he wants to make sure you’re safe.”

Tanya laughed bitterly. “Well, he has a funny way of showing it.”

“Not in his mind. He really wants to do what’s best for you. He’s put a lot of himself into protecting you.”

Remembering her father’s words, Tanya sniffled and sat up, swiping at her eyes. “Yeah, Mom...what was that he said earlier? Has he...has he really been using his blood to cure me all these years?”

Her mother’s face grew solemn. “Yes. It was the only thing he could think of to help you. He did something similar for me, to turn me back human again. Remember I told you that I used to be a duck? It’s because of your father’s essence that I can keep a human form. When you were born and we discovered that you had the same condition...well, I think it broke something in him. He felt like he couldn’t protect you. He had thought that his blood in your veins would be enough to counteract the curse from me, and he feels like he failed because it didn’t. I think he’s never really stopped blaming himself for your condition, so he’s always overcompensated for that a little when he’s trying to keep you safe.”

Tanya sat quietly, processing this information. Finally, she whispered, “I never knew. I had no idea what he went through for me.”

Her mother ran a hand over her hair. “He does it because he loves you, Tanya. It’s nothing to feel guilty over. Any parent would do the same for their child if it was necessary.” With one final pat on her head, she stood up. “I’ll see if I can work on him, but you should start thinking about what you’re going to say to Prince Bertrem. Now, I’m going to go make you something to eat. You’re still recovering, so you should stay in bed and rest tomorrow to make sure you’re ready for the ceremony.” She brushed a kiss over Tanya’s forehead before leaving the room.

The next day felt unbearably long. For once, Tanya meekly obeyed her mother, staying in bed and thinking about what she would say to Rem. She went through a dozen scenarios in her head, but couldn’t come up with a way to say goodbye to her best friend. Every time she tried to think of something, her chest ached unbearably, and she found it hard to concentrate. Thus, when the day of the ceremony arrived, she was no closer to a script. As she got dressed, she decided to just wing the conversation, and hope that she could get through it smoothly.

They all gathered in the kitchen, but this time the room was filled with stony silence instead of the usual inviting anticipation it held when they traveled to Rem’s world. Tanya didn’t even look at her father as he gave his prepared speech about staying safe, merely nodding at the right times without really hearing the words. 

Their world faded, and gradually the castle courtyard materialized around them. Today things seemed much livelier than usual. Tanya could hear servants bustling about just out of sight, doubtlessly getting things ready for the coming-of-age ceremony to be held in just a few hours. Trying to ignore them, Tanya looked around for Rem. She saw the king and queen walking towards them, but a quick scan of the courtyard revealed that Rem wasn’t there. She started towards his garden when she heard her name being called. Turning, she saw Elsebeth approaching. She stopped and waited for her friend to intercept her, making sure she was far enough away from the adults that she couldn’t hear them talking. She didn’t want to listen to the things her father was going to say to King Mytho. 

When Elsebeth reached her, Tanya pasted on a smile. “Elsebeth, how are you?”

The other girl narrowed her eyes. “I’m fine, but I wanted to ask you the same question. You and Prince Bertrem disappeared at the festival, and when we came back to the castle you had left suddenly. Is anything the matter?”

“Oh, that. No, everything is fine. I just had to get back by the time my father wanted to leave.” Tanya tried to brush off Elsebeth’s concern and redirect the conversation. “But anyway, how did things go with you and Lorenz?”

The blonde’s plump cheeks flushed prettily. “Well, it seems to have gone rather well. I think I managed to convey my feelings to him.”

Now Tanya was genuinely interested, and forgot her own troubles. “Oh, is that so? Did he say anything to you about his feelings?”

Elsebeth nodded slightly. “He said...well, he said that he’s always been aware of me, ever since we were children, and that I’ve always been special to him. And that...well, that he’s always loved me, and he’s thrilled that we’re engaged.”

Tanya smiled broadly. “That’s great, Elsebeth! Good for you! I’m so glad that the two of you straightened things out!”

Her friend’s expression relaxed into the tiniest of smiles. “Yes, it was an excellent outing. Thank you for your help.”

“Of course! Any time!”

“And what about you and Prince Bertrem? Did anything happen with the two of you when you were alone?”

Tanya stiffened. “What do you mean by that?”

Elsebeth looked a bit surprised. “Oh, nothing, I suppose. It just seemed to me that you held some feelings for him.” Tanya gaped at her, and Elsebeth rushed to add, “Well, I suppose it was nothing. After all, there are those rumors of his engagement to Princess Berenguela.”

Her blood ran cold as Tanya stared at her friend. “What did you say?”

“It’s a rumor that’s been going around for some time. Since Prince Bertrem went to Castile, really. I don’t know if there’s any substance to it or not.”

“Oh...I see...well, how wonderful for him. Princess Berenguela is a lovely girl.” Tanya was hardly aware of the words that came out of her own mouth. She suddenly felt an urgent need to talk to Rem. Now.

Gesturing over her shoulder, she said faintly, “Well, I have something to discuss with Rem, so if you don’t mind…”

“Of course, Tanya. I’ll meet up with you later.” Elsebeth watched her friend walk unsteadily away with a scrutinizing gaze that went unnoticed by the dazed Tanya.

She tottered into the garden, barely cognizant of where she was walking. She saw Rem sitting on the fountain’s edge, looking into the water. As she entered, he got up and swiftly came over to her, eating up the distance between them with his long stride. She observed distantly that he had grown into a fine young man, and thought to herself with some amusement that it had taken her quite a long time indeed to notice these things.

He grabbed her gently by the shoulders, focusing her face on him. “Tan, are you all right? I didn’t hear from you at all yesterday, and after what happened at the festival…”

She smiled up at him vaguely. “Yes, Rem, I’m fine. Rather than that, I have something to ask you.”

“What could possibly be more important than your safety?”

She shook off his arms, taking a step back. “Rem, I have something to ask you,” she repeated. “Are you getting engaged to Princess Berenguela?”

He froze, staring down at her with his dark, unfathomable red eyes. Those eyes had never been a mystery to her before, but now she felt like she couldn’t read what was in their depths. “Where did you hear that?” he asked slowly.

Fear crept around the edges of her heart as she realized that he was avoiding her question. “It doesn’t matter where I heard it. I just want to know if it’s true.” 

He shifted uncomfortably. “Well...my father has been pressing me to accept the betrothement with her, yes…”

The fear shot through her heart, freezing it solid. She couldn’t bear to hear any more. Abruptly, she turned around and reached for the gate.

A hand caught at her elbow. “Wait, Tan! Where are you going?”

She looked up at him hazily. “Prince Bertrem, don’t you think that your fiancée would object to you calling another woman in such a familiar matter?”

His hand dropped to his side as he stared at her with wide eyes. “Tan, what do you mean?”

“I mean that you shouldn’t treat me like this, when you are about to be engaged. It’s probably for the best anyway. My father has forbidden me from returning after today.”

He flinched. “What? What do you mean? You aren’t coming back anymore?”

“No, Prince Bertrem. This will be the last time we meet.” She turned around to face him fully, and swept him her best curtsey, honed over years of lessons with Queen Rue. “I wish you and Princess Berenguela all the best, and prosperity to your union and both of your kingdoms. Goodbye, Prince Bertrem.” Not looking him in the face, she turned around and whisked out of the little garden, walking straight to her father.

When she was about halfway across the courtyard, she heard her name being called, and knew that Rem...no, Prince Bertrem was following her. She sped up her pace, and was relieved when her father turned and saw her, and came to meet her. When she reached him, she looked up and said quietly, “I’d like to go home now, please.”

Her mother came up behind them and laid her hand on her father’s arm as he nodded. Taking their hands, he closed his eyes and began to transport them. Only when the world began to fade did Tanya dare to look at Rem. His face as he ran towards her was too much, and the tears she had been holding back finally fell as the one she loved faded from her sight for the last time.


	16. Chapter 16

Bertrem froze, staring at the place where Tanya had been only a moment before. She hadn’t even stopped when he had called out to her. 

His father approached him, and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Bertrem, are you all right?”

He stared hollowly at the same spot. “How can I be all right? She’s gone. She just...left. She didn’t even give me a chance to respond to her. She just...shut me down, and left. And now she’s gone forever. I’ve lost her.”

His father was silent for a moment. “Yes, Fakir told me that they won’t be returning again.”

The words drove home the finality of the situation. Bertrem felt his legs give out as he fell to his knees, still staring lifelessly at the spot on the grass where Tanya had been standing when she disappeared forever. “Father...Father, what am I going to do?”

“Hm. Well, I’m not sure there is much you can do. There’s the matter of your ceremony today, so perhaps you should just focus on that.”

“No!” He shook off his father’s hand violently, and stood up. “I can’t just sit around here doing nothing! I have to...I don’t know what, but I have to do something! I can’t just let her go like this!”

His father’s eyes softened. “Yes, I suspected that’s how you would answer. I was hoping you would, anyway. You’ve always excelled at everything I’ve asked of you, Bertrem, but you’ve very rarely done anything merely in your own self-interest. Don’t you think it’s time for you to think about yourself a little?”

Bertrem stared. “But, Father...you always said that I have to think about the needs of the country first.”

His father chuckled. “So I did. But there are times, such as this, where it’s beneficial for both you and the country to think about what you want, first and foremost. And in this situation, all you can do is wait, so you should think about what you can do while you’re waiting.”

Bertrem thought over these words. Was it really all right for him to do what he wanted? To defy what the expectations were for him, just to seek his own happiness? He looked up at his father slowly, and the king smiled. 

“Now, I think it’s time that you went and got your princess, don’t you?” His father pointed behind him, and Bertrem turned around.

Princess Berenguela was entering the courtyard, flanked by Alfonso and another guard. He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. His father was right. His parents had married for love, and their union had proved extremely fruitful for the country. There was no reason why he shouldn’t seek to do the same. Summoning all the authority he could, he strode over to the princess, stopping just short of her and bowing slightly. “Princess Berenguela. May we talk privately?”

She smiled coquettishly at him. “Oh my, Bertrem. Aren’t you too eager to speak with me? Whatever could you need from me so urgently?”

He straightened up and looked her directly in the eye. “I think it’s time that we both stopped denying our feelings.”

She regarded him seriously for a moment, then placed her hand in his. “Very well. Let us talk.”


	17. Chapter 17

As they returned to their own world, Tanya fell down on the floor, allowing her tears to take over. Her mother dropped to her side as her father exclaimed, “Tanya, are you all right? Are you not feeling well? Do you need a pill?”

Tears streaking down her face, she looked up at him and yelled, “No, Dad! I feel fine! I don’t need a stupid pill!”

“Tanya, you don’t need to shout at your father. He’s just trying to take care of you.”

Usually, her mother’s gentle words calmed her, but now they were like salt in her wounds. “I never asked him to take care of me! I never asked for anyone to interfere in my life at all!” Pushing her mother’s hands away, she stood up and ran into her room, slamming the door and throwing herself onto her bed. Thankfully, her parents didn’t attempt to console her, and she spent a long time crying herself out. As she slowly calmed down, she became aware of the soft patter of rain on the roof above her. The sound was soothing, and she rolled over on her back, staring up at the ceiling and imagining that she was outside, soaking up the raindrops. Suddenly, she was overcome with the urge to be out in the woods with her wooden practice sword. Everything always seemed to fall into place when she was holding a sword. 

She got up slowly and tiptoed to her door, cracking it open. There was no sign of anyone in the hallway, so she crept out, sneaking along the edge where the floorboards didn’t creak. As she drew closer to the kitchen, she heard her parents’ voices in a whispered conference. No doubt they were talking about her. She didn’t stop to listen, slipping past as quickly as she could and out the front door. 

Once outside, Tanya ran. She let go of everything she could, simply running as fast as her legs would carry her towards the woods as the rain pattered down on her. Soon she reached the hollow tree where she kept her sword and drew it out, dropping automatically into a fighting stance. The reassuring solidity of the wooden sword washed over her just like the rain on her face, and she allowed herself to become lost in her practice. Hours passed, and still she carried on, practicing swing after swing, thrust after thrust, forgetting everything in the motions of her sword. She was so caught up in it that she didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until a hand spun her around by her shoulder.

Scared, she struck out with her sword, but it was caught deftly and twisted out of her hand. She looked at her attacker, and saw the irate glare of her father.

“What are you doing out here with a sword?” he demanded.

This was a moment that Tanya had dreaded for years. She had always known that if her father found out that she was practicing swordsmanship, he would absolutely hate it. But now, she couldn’t summon anything more than vague unease at the situation. She answered, “I’ve been practicing the sword for a long time, Dad. Nearly ten years now.”

His eyes flashed dangerously, and it occurred to her that this incident, on top of everything else, might push him over the edge. “And what the hell do you need to do that for? You aren’t a noble, and you sure as hell aren’t a knight! What use could you possibly have for knowing how to use a sword?”

Calmly, she heard herself reply, “And what use do you have for a sword, Dad?”

He bristled. “I don’t have a use for a sword, and I don’t know why you would ask me such a ridiculous question! Swords only bring pain to those who use them, even if they’re meant for protection. Which is why you are absolutely forbidden from touching one ever again!” He stalked over to where her wooden sword had been flung into the grass and snatched it up. Returning to her, he grabbed her hand and snarled, “Come on, we’re going back home!”

As she was pulled along by him, Tanya found that she simply didn’t have the strength to protest anymore. 

When they arrived home, she went directly to her room. She felt even more hollow than before. Everything had been taken away from her, and she was powerless to do anything about it. She remained in her room for days, and even all her mother’s coaxing could barely get her to eat, let alone leave her room. Her father came by several times a day and stood in her doorway, looking at her with a complicated expression and saying nothing.

Finally, on the third day after their return, he came to her room again, but this time he entered and sat down next to her. Bowing his head, he reached out and clasped her hand in his, squeezing it gently. For a long time he sat like that, bowed over her hand, saying nothing.

When at last he spoke, he didn’t lift his head. “Do you love Bertrem?”

Her heart shuddered, the first real feeling she’d had in days, but she didn’t respond.

Her father waited for several long moments, then sighed. “It’s just as well if you don’t, I suppose. It’s really much too dangerous to allow you to go back there again. I’ve been thinking about what you said, about shutting you in here all the time. You’re right, I’ve been too afraid of something happening to you to allow you to interact with the other children here. So I made a few arrangements, and tomorrow the baker’s son will be coming here. If all goes well, and you like each other, there’s a chance you could get engaged.”

Tanya’s hands and feet buzzed with a strange numbness at these words. Engaged? To the baker’s son? She’d only ever seen him a few times. How could her father expect her to marry someone she barely knew?

No. She wouldn’t go along with him any longer. As if coming in a flood, emotions began roaring back to her. There was no way she would allow her father to decide her future. She would have to do something about this situation, and fast. But she’d have to buy some time alone to make and execute a plan. She said in a soft voice, “All right, Dad. I’ll meet him. I know you want what’s best for me.”

He looked up at her face, and she was surprised to see that his eyes were wet with tears. He stood and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry that I haven’t done a good job of listening to you. I’ll try to do better, all right, Tanya? I love you.”

She felt a small pang of guilt over plotting to deceive him, but it faded quickly. She smiled back up at him with a warmth she didn’t feel and replied, “I love you too, Dad. I’m tired, do you mind if I take a nap now?”

“No, of course not. I’ll leave you alone. I hope I’ll see you in the kitchen for dinner tonight if you’re feeling better.”

“Yes, I’ll try, Dad.” She kept the smile on her face until her father was out of the room, then collapsed back onto her pillows, desperately trying to think. Painfully slowly, a plan began to form. It involved several variables she wasn’t sure about, but she was willing to gamble at this point. After all, there was nothing left to lose.

She put on a false smile and got out of bed, joining her parents for her first real meal in days. Her mother fussed over her, and her father did as well, in his own way. Tanya found the entire meal exhausting, and fell into bed when it was over. It took a lot of self-control to keep from falling asleep, as she knew she had a better chance of success if she could execute her plan while her parents were sleeping.

About an hour after she had heard them go to bed, she stole out of her room and down the hallway. She peeked into her parents’ room, and was satisfied to see that they were both asleep. As she looked in, she saw her father’s leather pouch hanging on a hook next to the door. Carefully, she reached a hand inside and lifted it off the hook, drawing it to her body before sliding away from the room and fastening the pouch around her waist.

With that done, she softly padded along the hall to her father’s study and slipped inside. Not daring to light a candle, she fumbled over to the closet in the dark, finally managing to locate the knob and enter.

Inside the closet it was even darker, and she paused for a few minutes to allow her eyes to adjust. When she could see the vague outlines of the stacks of boxes, she carefully made her way further inside, hoping that her father hadn’t moved the sword from where she had seen it years ago.

In this, she finally had a bit of luck. As she reached her hand into the corner where she had seen it, her fingers brushed against a leather handle. Grasping it tightly, she pulled it out from its hiding place behind the boxes. Holding it in her hand, she felt a slight sense of triumph. She quickly tamped this down, however. She had to stay focused for the next part of her plan.

As quietly as possible, she left the office and went to the kitchen. Although she knew that her father didn’t need to use the kitchen to exert his powers, they always used it as a starting point to go to Rem’s world, and she felt like she’d need all the emotional boost she could get.

After all, she was going to try to use his power.

She stood in the middle of the room and closed her eyes. She had asked her father once about how he transported them to Rem’s world, and he had given her a long, rather complicated answer that she had really only half understood. What she remembered was that he basically viewed it as a story, just like how he wrote stories for the citizens of Gold Crown Town. She took a deep breath, and tried to think about Rem’s world being a story, and about writing herself into that story. As she concentrated, she felt a pulse somewhere inside of her, a weak throb that felt foreign and yet somehow familiar. Focusing on that pulse, she drew it up within her, and thought as hard as she could about Rem’s world. Slowly, she felt the familiar sensation of her father’s power, although it felt almost begrudging, as if it didn’t want to obey her. She pressed more firmly, adding her will, and felt the power respond, until suddenly everything stopped.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and saw that she was standing in a room with a large canopy bed. Her vision began to blur, and the last thing she saw was a figure sitting up on the bed.


	18. Chapter 18

Bertrem stared at Tanya as she appeared in his bedroom within a soft glow of light. She looked dazed, and her eyes glazed over almost immediately as she collapsed on the floor. He bolted out of bed, rushing over to her as her body began to glow. By the time he reached her, she was a duck, lying unconscious on the floor. He tried desperately to tamp down his panic, and noticed that Fakir’s leather belt was mixed in with her clothes. He snatched it and fumbled with the clasp, managing to get a pill out. With shaking hands, he put it inside her mouth, and watched her breathlessly.

After a few seconds, her body shone gold again and shifted back into the body of a young woman. Relief coursed over Bertrem as she slowly opened her eyes, blinking up at him. “Rem? Is it really you? Did I make it?”

The words surged through him. He swept her up into his arms, pressing his face into her neck. “Tan, it’s me. Are you really here? I thought I’d never see you again.” He squeezed her tighter as he said this, and the weight of that fear resounded through him. “How did you get here?” he asked wonderingly.

Her voice grazed over his ear as she replied in a dazed voice, “I’m not really sure. I tried to use the same power my dad has. I guess I can do it, too.”

Bertrem laughed, a release of his amazement. “I always knew you were impressive.”

Her head lolled forward onto his shoulder, making her chest press into him. He suddenly remembered that when she changed back to human, she didn’t have her clothes on. Feeling his face flush, he tipped his head up to look at the ceiling. “Um, Tan, do you need any help putting on your clothes?”

She scrambled out of his grip, and he felt a moment of sorrow as her body left his arms. He immediately scolded himself as she muttered an apology and gathered her clothes. A minute later she mumbled, “You can look now.”

He brought his head down to look at the pretty girl sitting in front of him, and was overcome again by the sheer fact of her presence. He dropped his head forward onto her shoulder and whispered, “Tan, are you really here? Really and truly?”

She stiffened. “Prince Bertrem, I’m not sure if we should be alone like this if you’re engaged.”

His head shot up, and he grabbed her hands in both of his in a desperate motion. “Tan, please don’t start speaking to me formally again. I can’t bear it. From anyone but you, Tan. Please, just talk to me like you always have.”

“But if you are engaged to another woman, this isn’t—”

“We aren’t engaged!”

She stared at him blankly. “What did you say?”

Relieved that she wasn’t trying to get away from him anymore, Bertrem rushed into an explanation. “I don’t know where you got that idea from in the first place. There was some talk of an engagement between us, but nothing was ever finalized. And the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, after you...after you left, I straightened everything out with Berenguela.” He felt Tanya’s hands stiffen a little as he said the princess’s name, and tightened his grip before continuing. “You see, she and I were never romantically involved at all. When I went to Castile a few years ago, I realized pretty quickly that she was in love with her guard, Alfonso.” Tanya gasped a little, but he kept talking, desperate for her to know. “That’s when the two of us became friends. We both were in love with someone who we thought we had no chance with, so we would often talk about those things when we were together, and eventually we became friends. I know she’s a little bit hard to deal with, as you’ve seen, but she’s really a nice person underneath. She just doesn’t know how to express herself. And I feel like she was really hard on you because of that. She just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to get hurt, and had a hard time getting that across. Well, and I think part of it was she wanted to make Alfonso jealous by trying to imply that there was something between us.”

Tanya was looking more confused by the second. “Rem, what are you talking about? What does that have to do with her being mean to me?”

Bertrem stared at her hard for a moment, gathering up his courage. “Tan, she was hard on you because she knew I was interested in you.” Her blank look intensified, so he inched closer to her and looked searchingly into her face. “Tanya, I love you.”

She gasped, and drew back a little. Bertrem’s heart sank. She certainly didn’t seem happy to hear his feelings. To distract himself from the dull ache spreading over him, he resumed his story. “Anyway, that last day you were here, I went and straightened everything out with Berenguela. I told her that both of us needed to stop pretending like we weren’t in love with other people, or our parents were going to force us into an engagement that neither of us wanted. Last I knew, she was headed back to talk to her father about marrying Alfonso.” Out of things to say, Bertrem sat back on his heels, trying not to look into Tanya’s face, for fear of finding rejection there.

After a pause, he heard her quiet voice. “So...you aren’t in love with the princess?”

“No, I’m not.”

“And...you care about me?”

He looked back at her, steeling his will. “Yes. I love you.”

A slow, radiant smile spread over her face, and to his alarm, tears began to fall down her cheeks. He reached a hand out to wipe them away as she cried out, “Oh, Rem, I love you too!”

His hand froze on her cheek as he stared at her. “You...what?”

Breaking out into joyous laughter, Tanya cried, “Oh, Rem, I love you, I love you!” She launched herself into his arms, and he caught her out of reflex, holding her body to his as she shook, either with tears or laughter.

He rested his cheek against her and said into her vibrant orange hair, “Really, Tan? I was so scared when you left me. I thought you hated me and wanted nothing to do with me anymore.”

Her head, buried in his chest, shook back and forth. “I was devastated, because I thought the person I loved was getting married to someone else. I was trying to put on a brave face so you wouldn’t see me cry. And, besides…” Her voice dropped down to a whisper. “I thought I’d never be able to see you again.”

Bertrem clutched her tighter to him. “But you’re amazing, and found a way to come see me. Tan, I’m so glad to see you again.”

She laughed, and finally drew her face out of his chest. “And now that I’m here, I can stay with you forever!”

A warmth spread through him at her words, but it was followed quickly by a question. “But, Tan, what about your parents? Do they know you’re here?”

She pouted at him, and he thought how adorable she looked, despite the severity of the situation. “No, they don’t know where I am. And why should I tell them? My father tried to keep me from seeing you, and told me I can’t practice the sword anymore. He was even talking about trying to marry me off to the baker’s son!”

Bertrem’s blood ran cold at her last sentence. He brushed a kiss against the top of her head absently as his brain focused on another issue. “Tan, if he told you that you can’t have a sword, then what’s that over there?” He had noticed the sword lying next to the leather pouch, but hadn’t thought anything of it until now.

Her face turned red, but she lifted her chin and glared at him triumphantly. “It’s my father’s sword. He’s had it in his closet for years and never used it. I knew he wouldn’t miss it, so I brought it with me. As long as I’m breaking away, I might as well do it whole-heartedly!”

“Tan, that isn’t a good idea. You have no idea where that sword came from, or what importance it has to your father, or even if it’s safe to own! And besides that, you can’t just—” He stopped talking as he noticed that Tanya’s eyes were starting to glaze over again. “Are you all right? Do you feel anything strange?”

With an unfocused gaze, her eyes met his. “Now that you mention it, I do feel a little…” She swayed, then toppled over. He managed to catch her before she hit the floor, but her body glowed a bright gold, and a moment later he was holding a small yellow duck in his arms. 

Frantically, he reached for the pouch and opened it. Inside there was just one more pill. Grabbing it, he placed it in Tanya’s mouth and waited for it to take effect. Several agonizing seconds later he was once again holding a naked girl. He waited until she opened her eyes, then cleared his throat as he helped her sit up. Turning his back, he waited for her to get dressed, but couldn’t help expressing his concerns. 

“Tan, that was the last pill you had, and it seems like your power is draining pretty quickly here. It’s probably because you came here by yourself and your body isn’t used to doing this. Pretty soon, you’ll change into a duck again, and we’ll have no way to contact your father.” Panic began to mount inside of him. “What if by the time he finds you, it’s too late, and you’re stuck being a duck? What if he never figures out where you are?”

A hand tapped his shoulder gently, and he turned around. “Rem, calm down. It’s not that bad. I’ll figure out some way to deal with it.”

His anxiety frothed over. “How? How are you possibly going to deal with this? There’s only one way to reverse the transformation.” He stopped, as an old memory came to him. “Or...perhaps there is another way…”

She looked at him suspiciously. “Rem, what do you mean another way? What are you thinking?”

Quickly, he stood up and pulled her to her feet along with him. “Nothing, Tan. At any rate, we should get to bed. I’m sure you’re tired, and that’s probably affecting how quickly your body is changing. We should try to sleep.” He pulled her over to his bed and sat on it, then looked up questioningly at her.

She paused, then answered his question by sitting down next to him. He smiled in relief as he moved to the other side of the bed to make room for her. “I won’t do anything to you tonight. I just want you to rest.” 

He adjusted himself under the covers and felt her climb in next to him, positioning her body so it was close to him. She whispered, “But what if I wanted you to do something?”

An electric charge ran through his body, and he turned on his side to look at her. With a start he saw that her face was very close to his. Close enough, in fact, to…

Bertrem rested his hand gently on the side of her face, and shifted his head forward slightly, pressing his lips softly into hers. For the space of a few breaths, he held this position, enjoying her softness. Then he forced himself to pull back, relishing the wide-eyed look on her face. He couldn’t help himself, and brushed another quick kiss onto her lips before whispering, “There. Now go to sleep.”

Despite her apparent shock over being kissed, it didn’t take Tanya long to drop off to sleep, and soon she was breathing slowly and evenly next to him.

Bertrem, however, knew he couldn’t sleep. Trying his best not to wake Tanya, he slid out of bed and threw on a dressing robe before slipping quietly out of his chambers. 

He wasn’t entirely sure where he was going, but he had a hunch, and headed to the royal treasury. The guards looked surprised to see him there late in the night, but they allowed him inside without any problems. He strode quickly to a small door set in the back of the vault and opened it, praying that what he was looking for was still kept in here. As the door swung open, the light from the main chamber glinted off of a thin blade. He breathed a sigh of relief, and reached in, pulling out a long, silver sword, decorated with twin swans on the hilt. Years ago, his father had brought him here and explained that this sword was a treasure of the kingdom, and something that could be used to protect it as a last resort, although it came at a terrible price. Staring at it, Bertrem gripped the handle tightly. He knew from his father’s stories that this sword also had another use.

Decisively, he turned around and strode out of the vault, not even pausing to acknowledge the guards as he went. He didn’t allow himself to think at all until he was back in his chambers, standing in his darkened bedroom. 

He had to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room, but when they did, he saw that his bed looked strangely empty. With his heart in his throat, he walked over and drew back the covers. Sure enough, there was Tanya, in duck form, fast asleep.

The sight only strengthened his resolve. This was obviously the only way, and the only thing that he could do for this girl that he loved so much. Taking a step backwards so as not to injure Tanya, he reversed his grip on the sword, pointing it at himself. He rested the tip on his chest, trying to reason through what he was going to do. His father had said that the sword could be used as a sealing device, but the cost was shattering the user’s heart. Since he wasn’t trying to seal anything, surely he didn’t need to shatter his entire heart. If he was careful, he could get a small shard, like the one of his father’s heart that had turned Tanya’s mother human. He shut his eyes and whispered to the sword, “Please, take whatever you want from me, just let her be all right.”

With a deep, steadying breath, he pressed the sword’s tip into his chest. 

As it went in, he felt a searing pain, and nearly cried out. When he looked down, however, there was no blood, and the sword itself was emitting a faint silver glow. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he pushed it in further, and grimaced as he felt it reach his heart. He was nearly there. This was the moment where he had to be careful. Gingerly, he pushed the sword a bit further.

He felt the moment when a piece of his heart snapped, as if one of his digits was being ripped from him. His knees buckled from the sensation, but he managed to stay upright, although his vision swam. Gingerly, he withdrew the sword, and with it came a small, red shard that looked like a piece of a crystal. It emitted a soft scarlet light, and as he caught it in his hand, it even felt warm. He stared at it for a second in wonder before catching himself. This was no time to be distracted. Who knew how much longer Tanya would hold out?

Setting the sword on the ground, he knelt on the bed over the small duck, holding the shard of his heart in his cupped hands. As he gazed at her prone form, Bertrem realized that he didn’t really know how to give her the heart shard. He had assumed that it would act on its own. He lowered his hands down and uncertainly laid it upon Tanya’s chest.

For a moment nothing happened, and the heart shard simply sat on her downy breast. Then, ever so slowly, it began to sink into her, until it disappeared with a flash of light. Bertrem shielded his eyes against it with his arm. When he looked back, there she was, lying on his bed, fully human. With a trembling hand, he reached out to touch her face. As he rested his hand on her cheek, she opened her eyes. “Rem? What happened?” She sat up groggily.

A noise close to a sob sprang from his throat, and he jerked her into his arms roughly, burying his face into her hair. “Thank goodness,” he whispered.

Her voice, thick with sleep, asked in his ear, “Rem, what is it? You’re scaring me.”

It occurred to him that he didn’t really know for sure if the heart shard had worked. What if it was only a temporary fix like the pills? He decided he should wait until morning to see if she was still human before letting her know what he had done. He drew back from her and pushed her down gently onto the bed by her shoulders, tucking her under the covers. “Nothing, Tan. Go back to sleep. I’m sorry I woke you. I just...I had a bad dream, that’s all.” He climbed onto the bed next to her and was about to get under the covers as well until he remembered that she hadn’t been wearing anything. Instead, he settled his body next to hers on top of the bed, propping his head on an elbow so he could watch her. She looked back at him with sleepy eyes, seeming all too ready to go back to sleep despite the worry on her face. He smiled at her reassuringly and stroked her hair. “Go to sleep,” he soothed, and her eyes fell shut. Bertrem, however, laid awake watching her for a long time, fighting against sleep with his need to watch over her.

It felt like he blinked, and suddenly the room was flooded with morning light. He sat up swiftly, hand automatically reaching to the bed next to him for Tanya. His hand met her shoulder, and he saw her peacefully sleeping face. His movements had disturbed her, however, and her eyes cracked open. He had never been so happy to see her clear green gaze.

She sat up slowly and stretched languidly. When she was done, she looked down at herself, and noticed that she was naked. Blushing, she clutched the blankets to her chest, then gave Bertrem a sheepish smile. “Well, it looks like I’m still human today. I guess that pill is still working? Either that, or my body is getting used to this.”

His chest felt tight. He had to tell her the truth now that he knew the change was likely permanent. “Well, actually...I think I know what happened.”

Tanya looked at him suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

“Last night...you turned into a duck in your sleep. I knew I had to do something about it. We couldn’t just wait around and hope that your father showed up. So I remembered what my father had said about your mother, about how she became a human because of his heart shard. And I remembered when a few years ago, he showed me a sword in the treasury that he said had the power to seal an enemy, at the cost of shattering the heart of the one who wielded it, and I put them together.” A horrified look was growing on Tanya’s face, but he continued talking. “I went last night and got it, and came back here, and...well, I’m sure you can guess the rest.”

Her grip on the blanket loosened a little as she stared down at her chest, then back up at him with dismay. “You mean...Rem...oh, Rem, you didn’t…”

He returned her look firmly. “And why shouldn’t I have? Tanya, you’re the most important thing in the world to me. What good is having a heart if the one it belongs to isn’t with me?”

“Rem…” Her eyes filled with tears, and she leaned forward into his chest. His arms wrapped around her naturally as she whispered, “Does it hurt?”

“No.” He reasoned with himself that it wasn’t a lie, because it certainly didn’t hurt anymore.

“Do you feel all right?”

“Yes, I feel fine. What about you? Anything unusual?”

“No, I feel...whole, somehow. As if I’ve been missing something.” She lifted her face off his chest and smiled shakily. “I suppose if you’re fine, then...Rem, thank you so much.” She tipped her head upward, and he responded, leaning down to kiss her gently.

Just as he was considering deepening the kiss, the door to his room burst open. Startled, he hugged Tanya protectively to his chest as he turned towards the intrusion. To his horror, he saw both of their fathers standing in the doorway.


	19. Chapter 19

“What the hell are you doing to her?” Tanya’s father snarled at Bertrem as he crossed the room in swift strides, and she realized with a sinking stomach just how bad this scene must look to him.

Quickly, she held up a hand to protest, “Dad, it’s not what it looks like! Please, I can explain!”

“There’s nothing to explain!” he roared, reaching her side and clamping a hand on her wrist. “Bertrem, get the hell away from her!”

“Dad, no! He didn’t do anything to me, I swear! I just turned into a duck, and that’s why I’m not wearing anything.” She tried to yank her arm out of his grip, but although he wasn’t hurting her, she couldn’t shake free of him, either.

Her father didn’t lessen his hold at all as he glared at the prince. “And how the hell do you expect me to believe that?”

Bertrem cut in. “Fakir, you don’t have to believe me. But please, hear me out. Don’t take Tanya back until we all have a chance to talk.”

He laughed bitterly. “I have no reason to trust you with my daughter.”

Tanya bristled at his words. “Yes you do, Dad! He gave me his heart shard!”

Her father blanched, and he stared at Bertrem. “You...what exactly did you do?”

Bertrem’s father spoke up from the doorway, and although his voice sounded odd, his words were measured as usual. “Fakir, it sounds like there’s quite a story for us to hear. But for now, why don’t the men all leave Tanya in peace so she can get dressed, and then we can continue this discussion?”

Her father glared at his friend, but nodded his assent curtly. Dropping Tanya’s arm, he grabbed Bertrem instead and growled, “Come on, you.” Tanya managed to catch Bertrem’s eye as he was being dragged from the room, and somehow his slight smile managed to reassure her. Slowly, she got up and put her clothes back on, aware that she would have to face her father when she was dressed. But although she went slowly, all too soon she was exiting the bedroom into the outer sitting area.

All three men looked up as she entered, and her father stood up, no doubt meaning to walk over to her. Swiftly, she dashed over to where Bertrem was sitting and stood behind him, putting her hands on his shoulders, He covered one of her hands with his, and Tanya stared defiantly at her father. He clenched his jaw, but didn’t move further. Instead he ground out, “I think you both owe us one hell of a story.”

Tanya cleared her throat. “Well, yesterday, I...I came here. I didn’t know if I could do it, but I remembered how it felt when you did it, and I just...managed to pull that feeling out. But when I got here, I turned into a duck almost right away, and Rem had to give me one of the pills. It took a lot of energy to travel here, and my body was exhausted, I guess. The pill worked for a while, but then I turned back again, and he gave me the last one. He got me to go to sleep, and when I woke up, I was still human. And I guess Rem should tell the rest, because I don’t remember any of it.”

Both of their fathers shifted their gazes expectantly to the prince seated in front of her. With a steady voice, he continued the story. “I knew that we didn’t have any more pills, and we had no way of knowing when or if you would come to look for her, Fakir. I had no idea what would happen if she stayed as a duck for too long. So I did the only thing I could think of. I went to the treasury and got the sword that Father had told me about, and I came back here. When I returned, she had turned into a duck again in her sleep, so I cut out a shard of my heart to give to Tanya.”

To her surprise, Bertrem’s father exploded out of his seat at those words. “Bertrem, what on earth were you thinking? Don’t you remember what I told you about that sword? It’s not something that you can trifle with! Even if you managed to get a piece of your heart out, I assure you it was not without its cost!”

Tanya’s father nodded, and she was struck by the haunted look in his eyes. “Mytho’s right. It isn’t as if it was just a shard of your heart that you took out. Tell me, Bertrem, do you feel any differently now? Is there anything that you feel is missing?”

Tanya walked slowly around the side of the couch as Bertrem answered, suddenly needing to see his face. He looked contemplative. “I don’t think so. I feel the same as I always did. I suppose if anything, I feel relieved, since the heart shard seems to have worked. Tanya hasn’t had any issues since I gave it to her last night, which is a lot longer than the pills were lasting.”

Her father’s gaze shifted to her. “Yes, I don’t doubt that you’re right. But the issue here is what it potentially cost you to do so.” Tanya stared at her father. She had always thought that he hated Bertrem. She never would have thought she’d see him concerned about the prince.

Abruptly, the king strode over to his son and stood, staring down at him with turmoil in his eyes. “Bertrem, please concentrate. Is there anything at all that feels different?”

Bertrem frowned. “No, Father, like I said, there’s nothing. I know that this was a risky plan, but I was willing to give what I had to for Tanya. And besides, it seems like it turned out just fine.”

“You don’t understand, you little idiot!” Tanya’s father hissed. “Each heart shard represents one of your emotions. Since you only took out one, there’s no way to know which emotion you’ve lost.”

Horrified, Tanya stared at Bertrem. She sat down next to him on the couch heavily, drawing his attention. Hastily, he clasped her hand. “Tan, don’t worry about it, please. I didn’t know that the shards were emotions, but I was willing to give up a lot more than just that if it meant you would be cured. It worked, and that’s all that matters to me.”

Her father murmured, “I suppose this makes sense. If I were Drosselmeyer, this would be exactly the kind of development I would create. Having the heart shard of love stay with the person you loved to keep her human, but then having her disappear if she confessed that love, so it would be more heartrending. I suppose this probably would have happened with Ahiru if you had returned her feelings, and you would have been fully restored without her heart shard.”

Bertrem’s father snapped, “Aren’t you glad I didn’t, Fakir?”

Her father returned the hard look the king was giving him, and for a moment Tanya thought they would fight. Then her father growled, “Of course I am. What a ridiculous question. I’m just trying to figure this out for the sake of your son, Mytho.”

“Father, please calm down. I really feel fine, and as far as I can tell I’m fully in possession of all my emotions still.” Bertrem attempted to soothe his father, but Tanya shrank back at the fierce look in the king’s eyes.

“Mytho, I think he’s right. Just look at him. Don’t you remember how you felt when you were missing pieces of your heart?”

“Of course I do! Why do you think I’m so upset?”

“Would you calm down, dammit?” Her father seemed to be growing irritated with the king. “I’m saying that Bertrem’s not acting like that at all. He’s completely normal. So isn’t it reasonable to think that maybe he just gave her a piece of his heart that belonged to hear already?”

Tanya gaped at her father. She had never heard him say anything so poetic before. Bertrem seemed to be equally surprised, and ventured, “Why would you think that?”

Her father snorted. “It’s rather obvious, isn’t it? How else would you have been able to give her a heart shard without having any adverse affects yourself? It’s reasonable to conclude that you love her.” Tanya felt herself flush as her father continued, “At any rate, Mytho, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. You should keep an eye on him for a while, but my professional opinion is that there isn’t anything to worry about.”

The king gave his son one last uneasy look, then sat down on the chair next to the couch, suddenly showing exhaustion in every line of his body. He sighed wearily. “I hope you know what you’re talking about, Fakir.”

Her father scoffed, “Of course I do. This is what I do. And anyway, do you think I would take any chances where Tanya is concerned?”

Bertrem’s father finally cracked a small smile, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I suppose not.”

Bertrem broke in. “Fakir, does this mean that you aren’t going to take Tanya back with you?”

Her father’s face sharpened, and he glared at the prince. “What the hell are you talking about? Obviously I’m going to take her back with me.”

“No!” Tanya whirled to face her father, clutching instinctively onto Bertrem’s arm. “I won’t go back! I don’t want to be kept inside the house any longer, and I definitely don’t want to marry the baker’s son!”

Her father sighed. “Tanya, I know that I pushed you, but please try to understand. I only want what’s best for you.”

Her eyes filled up with unshed tears as she pleaded, “But Dad, isn’t what I want important too?”

His face softened. “Of course it is, Tanya. I was always just...so afraid. After what I went through with your mother, I was determined not to let that happen to you, too. So there may have been times when I was...a bit too strict with you. But, Tanya, if you’re really cured now...well, that changes a lot of things. And if you’ve inherited the same power I have, too…” He ran his hand through his hair. “Well, there isn’t a lot I can do to stop you, now is there? But I’d like it if you would listen to me. The power that you wield is strong, and it’s dangerous. You need to learn how to control it, or it can very easily harm someone. I would like to take you back home with me so I can teach you how to use it. Besides, your mother is worried about you.”

Tanya stared at him. She had rarely heard him talk to her so gently, and she felt herself softening towards him. 

Bertrem spoke up, and there was a note of panic in his voice. “Wait a moment, please.” He looked at the king, and said in a firm voice, “Father, I wish to be engaged to Tanya.”

She gasped, and her father jumped out of his chair with a small cry. Bertrem turned to Tanya and took both of her hands. “Tan, I know we haven’t really talked about this, but I hope you will consider it. You’re the only person I’ve ever truly cared about, and I can’t just let you go. I love you.”

She felt tears pooling in her eyes again, and smiled shakily. “I love you too, Rem. But...am I really a good choice for your wife? I’m not even a noble, and I don’t know if I have what it takes to be queen.”

The king’s gentle voice broke in. “Tanya, dear, what do you think all that training that you did with Rue was for?”

She stared at him blankly. “You mean the etiquette lessons for Rem’s parties?”

He nodded. “Didn’t you ever wonder why you needed so much training if it was only for a few parties a year? Or perhaps why you learned history and politics as well as etiquette?”

Tanya considered this. “Well, I did ask Queen Rue about that once. She just said that it was necessary, so I didn’t ask anymore.”

Her father cut in angrily. “Hold on just a minute, Mytho. Do you mean to say that you and Rue have been going behind my back for years to give her queen training when you fully knew my feelings about the matter?”

Bertrem’s father smiled serenely. “Well, I thought it was better to be prepared just in case you changed your mind. It would be difficult to prepare her to be queen in a short time, after all. We didn’t want the poor girl to feel pressured. Rue in particular was insistent. She had quite a hard time learning everything so quickly when we got married, you know.”

“Oh, so instead it’s much less pressure to give my daughter secret queen training when you didn’t even know if it would end up being useful to her.”

“It all turned out fine in the end, didn’t it?” Bertrem’s father seemed to have calmed down considerably, and was now teasing her father with almost as much enthusiasm as usual.

“I’d hardly call secret coercion fine!”

The king ignored him, and turned to his son instead. “Bertrem, I think you know that your mother and I would like nothing better than to see you happy. I think that an engagement with Tanya would be an excellent choice. If she and her parents agree, then we are prepared to approve a betrothal.”

Bertrem turned to her, a question in his eyes. She laughed and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him in answer, feeling like everything in the world was finally where it should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just have the epilogue left! Planning to post tomorrow.


	20. Epilogue

Fakir shifted uncomfortably, wishing that he didn’t have to wear such formal clothing. Tanya laughed at his side. “Dad, hold still. It’s almost time for us to go.”

He smiled down at his daughter, forgetting about his own discomfort when he was looking at her. She was resplendent in her wedding dress, a long, elegant white gown with a full skirt and fitted bodice, complete with feathery half sleeves. Her hair was done up in a complicated braid, and as he looked at it he mused again over how its color had deepened to a full-bodied auburn during the past year. Ever since she had received Bertrem’s heart shard, she hadn’t once changed into a duck, and her hair had begun to darken. He thought it was likely that the two were connected, or perhaps it was just coincidental that her hair was darkening as she grew older. Either way, the effect of her shining copper hair served to make the deep green of her eyes stand out even more than it had before.

Tanya fidgeted. “Dad, stop staring at me so much. Do I really look that strange?”

“No, of course not. I was just thinking about how beautiful you look. Bertrem hardly deserves you.”

“Dad!” Despite her cry of protest, a grin spread across her face. “That’s quite a thing to say on my wedding day! When we’re waiting to walk down the aisle, no less.”

Fakir grumbled, “Well, it’s the truth.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Rem has done so much for me. And, you know...it’s because of him that I’m able to stay human permanently.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. “I’m really glad that happened. Now you don’t have to hurt yourself just to take care of me.”

He put his hand on his daughter’s cheek, turning her face so she was looking at him. “It was something that I chose to do, and I was glad to do it. I never once thought of it as a burden. But I am glad that you don’t have to go through that uncertainty anymore. I suppose that brat is good for something, after all.”

She laughed merrily at him as the processional music began to play. “Well, I hope you remember that that brat is about to become your son-in-law.”

He stared at her for a second longer, then dropped his hand and held out his arm for her. “If you’re really sure this is what you want, then I suppose I can live with that.”

Taking his arm, she clung tightly to him for a moment before relaxing her grip into a more natural hold. “It is, Dad.” They walked up to the doors of the chapel, and Tanya smiled up at him. “Dad, thank you so much for everything you and Mom have done for me. I love you.”

His heart surged, and for a brief instant he considered bolting with her. Surely no man could be worthy of his beautiful daughter. He caught himself, and smiled back fondly. “I love you too, my little fairy princess. And I’m glad you found your happily ever after.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Thanks for everyone who read along with me. I've had a lot of fun writing this, and hope you enjoyed it too!


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